


Everyone Has a Summer

by TBCole



Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, Power Rangers Turbo, Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama & Romance, Explicit Language, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Other, Romance, Sensuality, Sexual Content, Sexual Humor, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:20:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 71,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29329206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TBCole/pseuds/TBCole
Summary: The summer reunions hosted at Casa De Scott were always a chance for the gang to hang out and catch up. This year, things turn out a bit differently. Old friends reunite, the spark of something long thought buried returns, feelings are rediscovered, but the future still remains unknown. Everyone has a summer they want to remember.
Relationships: Kimberly Hart/Tommy Oliver
Kudos: 8





	1. Incredibly Busy

**Author's Note:**

> Slighty AU. Approximately set around PRDT era, but Dino Thunder never happened. Rated M for everything. Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Please Read and Review!

_Scott Residence  
_ _Sunday June 3 rd, 7:25 pm.  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

“I didn’t think much of it when the heels came off, ya know?” Jason shouted from the pantry. “I figured, it’s a reception, right? People are dancing, makes sense they’d remove their shoes…”

Tommy scratched at the faint stubble on his chin. He needed to shave. He made a quick note on the paper to remind himself.

“But then I saw them remove their _earrings_ , and that’s when I started getting nervous.”

Tommy looked up as Jason reentered the room, carrying an overflowing basket of laundry.

“How do spell gherkins?” Tommy wondered.

“G-H.”

“Thank you,” Tommy mumbled, jotting down the word. Jason set the basket on the table and rolled his eyes.

“It’s not a crossword puzzle, bro. It’s a grocery list.”

Tommy shot him a scowl. “Well, seeing as you all but _forced_ me to write it down, I thought the least I could do was spell it correctly.”

“No one cares if you spell it correctly, just that you _buy_ the right stuff.”

“That’s all of it, I think,” Tommy said, setting down his pen and taking up the bottle of beer he’d opened an hour ago.

Jason snatched the paper to make sure. “Good,” he said, nodding his approval before handing back the list.

“Well, it sounds like I left before the real fun started,” Tommy mused. He took a swig of his drink, grimacing as the now tepid liquid hit his lips.

The idea of a catfight breaking out during Jason’s wedding reception was news to him. He thought he’d exhausted every impression made that day.

That day, had been Jason and Trini’s wedding. And it had been coming up a lot in recent memory, as this summer marked the third anniversary of his friend’s nuptials. Which also meant another reunion for their group of friends. A tradition that saw everyone descend upon Casa de Scott for a month, schedules permitting.

Now that the ritual had become routine, it was easier to plan ahead for it. Jason maintained an open door policy during this time. _An open door, and revolving guest bed policy._ Jason’s house boasted three spare bedrooms, not counting his and Trini’s, and the nursery their twin toddlers shared. The house had only ever been at capacity once, during the wedding. Before that and since, there’d always been more space than they’d needed. But Jason liked being able to provide his friends with a place to stay. And on the rare occasion he couldn’t, Tommy had a guest room that he’d been willing to loan out in case of overflow.

The two men had been reminiscing about Jason’s wedding when Trini had phoned to amend the menu she had created for an upcoming cocktail party. She’d asked for the items tonight, but as it was nearly seven when she’d called, Jason had panicked over finishing all of the things he said he’d get done.

Tommy offered to do the grocery shopping in Jason’s stead. Jason accepted his friend’s offer, but grew nervous when Tommy had merely nodded along while Jason recited the newly appointed menu.

Tommy assured that he would remember the handful of things Trini had asked for, but Jason wouldn’t yield. Trini was organized and liked planning ahead. She was also a self-proclaimed control freak. It had been hard enough to relinquish the shopping over to her husband in the first place. But she’d capitulated when Jason had offered to _also_ watch the kids, _and_ do the laundry if she’d be the one to pick up Rocky and Aisha from the airport.

A strange compromise to some, perhaps. Him offering the triplicate domestic chores in exchange for some alone time and a chance to get out of the house for a few hours. But Jason detested driving to the airport. He loved inviting his friends to his house, had no issue with anyone and everyone making themselves at home once they’d arrived. So long as he didn’t have to circle that damn roundabout while narrowly avoiding the same TSA agent banging on the hood and telling you to move your car over and over again.

And now he’d inadvertently pawned off one duty to his notoriously forgetful friend, of which Jason would bear the brunt if the task got bungled. Nope. Tommy could hear all about the scandalous things he’d missed from his wedding reception _after_ Jason was assured that trusting Tommy with the shopping didn’t result in the business end of Trini’s wrath.

Jason pulled out a random towel and began folding. “We stopped any real fights before they could happen. I think Zack was embarrassed more than anything else.”

Tommy laughed. “Trini would have killed him.”

Jason snickered as he rolled up another towel. “No doubt.”

“He’s slipping in his old age,” Tommy chuckled, “Double booking dates to the same wedding?”

Jason smirked. “That’ll teach him.”

Tommy looked up wistfully as they considered their most charismatic but notoriously single friend. “Think he’ll ever settle down?”

Jason shook his head. “I don’t know, man. Zack seems happy this way. For someone who likes being around people so much, he just—never had a problem being alone, ya know? He thrives on it. And my wedding aside, not in a sleazy way.”

Tommy snickered as Jason went on.

“Like, none of the rest of us could get away with dating around like Zack does and still be called a gentlemen. He’s gotta be the classiest player I’ve ever met.”

“If Billy was still a bachelor, he could get away with it,” Tommy mused.

Jason looked skeptical. “Yeah but, could you _really_ see Billy having a bunch of different girlfriends?”

Tommy chuckled as he took another sip. The question may as well have been rhetorical. “No.”

Jason snickered. “No. Billy would be like, an elusive billionaire bachelor.”

Tommy snorted, rolling the almost empty glass in his hands. “So basically, Bruce Wayne?”

Jason pointed with the cotton bib in his hand. “Exactly. _With all of his gadgets_ —Dude! Billy is totally Bruce Wayne. Billy is Batman.”

Tommy laughed and took another swig from his beer.

Jason shook his head with a laugh, folding and setting aside another piece of laundry. “Bro, if you had told me fifteen years ago, that one day I’d be sitting with you, making grocery lists and folding reusable diapers, I’d have laughed in your face.”

“Well, you’d be happy about the _Trini being your wife_ part.” Tommy said.

Jason smirked. “True.”

“What about me?” Tommy said. “I teach high school, for fuck’s sake! Who saw _that_ coming? I have a kid, I’m divorced—“

“ _And you live in a VAN down by the river!”_ Jason teased as he separated another item from the stack.

“Might as well.” Tommy laughed bitterly, “You got two beautiful kids, you married the love of your life—you, my friend, are doing better than most of us.”

He finished off his beer, rising to deposit the glass into one of the meticulously labeled recycling bins.

Jason laughed. “Actually, most of us _are_ doing pretty well,” He pushed aside the pile of diapers he’d created and made a new stack for the towels he’d already finished.

“It’s really just _you_ who’s a mess, bro.” Jason smirked.

Tommy scowled. “You know what,” he reached back into the bin for his bottle. “Just for that, I’m not recycling this.”

Jason paled and dropped the blanket in his hands. Tommy released the pedal of the trash as the glass clinked into the basket.

“Oh dude, put that back, man. Trini’ll kill me.” He dove into the barrel. _“Throws off her whole system…”_

Tommy watched him in smug satisfaction, leaning against the sink.

Jason frowned as he pulled the bottle out by the tips of his fingers. “You son of a bitch, you didn’t even rinse it first.”

“Oh my god,” Tommy rolled his eyes and jerked the bottle back. “Give me this, ya crybaby.”

Tommy shook his head and turned around to wash the bottle thoroughly.

Jason glared at him as he padded back to finish the laundry.

Tommy shut the water, dangling the squeaky clean bottle as proof. “What time she getting back?” He asked, tossing the glass back into the recycling.

“What time is it now?” Jason asked, another pillowcase folded and forgotten.

Tommy pulled out his phone. “Quarter to eight.”

Jason ran the numbers. “Rocky and Aisha’s flight got in around seven, I think. So, depending on how long they were taxied, I don’t know, 9:30, 10, I’d say.”

Tommy nodded. “Okay, good. Give me a chance to run to the store and come back before they get here.”

“I appreciate it, bro. I’m sorry to even ask. It’s just such a hassle to load up the kids, and at this time of night—“

  
Tommy waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. I get it. Shit, Jase. I would have called my mom to watch Miles just to come _here_ tonight.”

Jason snickered. “How’s your mom doing? How’s your dad? He still getting all his outpatient business sorted out?”

Tommy nodded. “They’re good. Yeah, he’s been on four different treatment plans since his release. But he’s in good spirits, ya know? The divorce ate up a lot of my time the past few months, and since my dad can’t really leave the house, I haven’t seen him in ages. I might be the most pissed about that, tell you the truth.”

Jason worried against a potentially awkward question. “I know you see each other to trade off Miles but—have you two talked much since the whole…“

“Jase, if I can say it, you can say it. _Divorce._ And yeah, we’ve talked. Like you said, we see each other every week. She’s fine, I guess.” Tommy shrugged.

Jason nodded, not wanting to push. Tommy sighed, a grotesque smile curling on his lips. “She’s seeing someone.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “Jesus. At least wait for the body to go cold…”

Tommy snickered. “Maybe it should have bothered me more, but instead I just had this sense of relief when she told me.”

Jason nodded sagely. “Cause now it all feels _officially_ over?”

Tommy smirked. “Yep. Crazy, right? That getting divorced has somehow made me _happier_ than getting married…”

Jason snickered. He felt a sympathetic pang for his best friend’s predicament. Despite his current tone, Tommy had not entered into his marriage lightly. He was an incredibly honorable man, proud and just.

It had been a really big deal when Tommy had told his friends he had proposed to Heather. Despite the fact that they’d been together for just over a year, and their whole group of friends had gotten to know her, it was still a bit shocking.

Even more shocking, was when Tommy had revealed that Heather was pregnant.

Jason suspected the pregnancy might have precipitated the proposal, but Tommy had never officially confirmed or denied that theory.

Nevertheless, for Tommy’s marriage to end in divorce after less than four years and after producing a child, Jason knew that Tommy had initially been devastated.

And in quintessential Tommy Oliver fashion, the man endeavored to protect Heather’s dignity and reputation amidst their falling out, citing only his own shortcomings as an explanation into why his marriage had failed. But their friends had known better.

It wasn’t that the gang _disliked_ Heather. And at the start of their relationship, most of them were excited for their friend, however unexpected the match may have been.

But there were certain allegiances within their friend group. A by-product born of the years spent as Rangers as well as childhood companions. And to that, Heather would always be an outsider.

Jason supposed Heather had felt like a bit of an interloper herself, certainly in moments when the whole gang got together. Inside jokes, obscure references, cagey innuendos, they all served to alienate the woman further, _intentionally or not._

Eventually, Heather’s hostility became very apparent. Kat and Billy had given her the greatest benefit of the doubt, perhaps both feeling somewhat responsible for the couple even meeting in the first place.

Nevertheless, once their separation had been announced, the gang had tried to reconcile Tommy of his insecurities, with varying degrees of success. Tommy wasn’t really much for trash-talking an ex, no matter the circumstance. But as his and Heather’s estrangement developed, and meetings with lawyers were had, and arguments over custody occurred, Tommy emerged with a new perspective on the whole concept of divorce.

Which is where he found himself now, six months out since his marriage had officially been dissolved.

“She’s headed to Tahoe with him for the summer. _Greg,”_ Tommy said, rolling his eyes at the mention of his ex-wife’s new beau.

Jason scoffed. “You met him?”

Tommy nodded. “Just a couple of times when I went to pick up Miles. He seems… _uncomplicated.”_

Jason snorted. “How long have they been dating?”

Tommy shrugged. “A few months or so. That’s why they’re taking this trip, I guess. Something about wanting to _test the waters_. I agreed to take Miles while she’s away. It’s just an excuse for her to show off on the slopes, I know. But hey, if that doesn’t impress the guy, I don’t know what will.”

Jason snickered. “Got you didn’t it?”

Tommy laughed mirthlessly. “There were plenty of things that did it for me at one time. But give the devil his due, I guess.”

“So when is she dropping off Miles?”

“Wednesday,” Tommy said pointedly. “She’s incredibly busy, Jason _. Incredibly busy._ _Wednesday,”_ He rolled his eyes.

Jason laughed as he watched Tommy mock and bristle at what had clearly been Heather’s exact words.

Tommy shot him a smile. “I know it wasn’t originally on the schedule but maybe now that he’s here, we can set up play dates with Howie and Vanessa.”

“Absolutely,” Jason nodded, “We got work friends coming over for cocktails, hence the list, and Zack’s dragging us to some dance club in LA, and of course we have the cookout—but ya know, the rest of the summer is wide open. I bet we could take the kids to _Water World_ or something easy like that.”

Tommy nodded. “Right, I need to remember to ask my mom to take Miles on a couple of those nights.”

“Give your mom a break and just bring Miles over here. Adam and Tanya already said they’d be happy to look after the twins while we in LA. Ain’t no way Tanya’s gonna wanna go clubbing, she’s about ready to pop.” Jason said.

“Nah, my mom likes getting to see him.” Tommy frowned, “But, I was thinking, would you guys have any extra room for Adam and Tanya here instead?” Tommy said.

“Maybe, why?”

“They’re only staying for a few days cause she could go into labor any minute. And Adam was saying how this last trimester has been really rough on her. And I thought you and Trini still have the all that pregnancy suite and spa tub set up. I thought maybe they’d be more comfortable at your place then mine. I got a shower and a shitty tub, and now with Miles coming here, I’m gonna need that damn bathtub available at all times.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I think we can move some things around. But…we might have to do a prisoner exchange…”

Tommy nodded. “Sure, who ya got for me?”

Jason gave him a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, here’s the thing, Kat and Billy confirmed late and so we were just gonna inflate the air mattress off the den, but since Adam and Tanya are only staying for the weekend, then that could free up the double bed again for Kat and Billy so…”

Tommy scowled as soon it hit him. He was not amused.

“Which just leaves _me_ with a room to spare and one other person unaccounted for…”

Jason shot him a sheepish grin.

Tommy clenched his jaw. “Tell me you didn’t set this up on purpose.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “How could I have? Look, she hasn’t come down since my wedding. I mean, of course we always invite her, but we figured she’d just turn us down again.”

“And you didn’t think to suggest _anyone else_ to come stay with me?”

“Zack always stays with us, it’s tradition. And Rocky and Aisha can’t stay with you cause you only have a twin bed in the guest room.”

“What’d you think I was gonna do with Adam and Tanya? They would take my room for the weekend.”

“So you would let Rocky and Aisha have your bed instead?”

“For the _whole_ summer? Fuck no. “

“Then there’s your answer then.”

Tommy frowned. He had seen Kim three times in the last 12 years.

It wasn’t that their relationship was deliberately unfriendly, just a bit battle-worn, one might say. Chalk it off to years of holding someone on a pedestal while figuring out where they actually belonged in your life. Eventually, you get tired. And you can either gently set it down, or just let it drop.

And now, he had a son and an _ex-wife_. And he was what, _nervous_ about his estranged ex-girlfriend from high school coming to stay with him for the summer? _Goodness, whatever for?_

Tommy ran his hand over his face. “Fine, she can stay.”

Jason snickered at Tommy’s put upon reaction. “Don’t act like having Kim stay with you is the worst idea ever.”

Tommy shot Jason a glare.

Jason held up his hands in concession. “Look if it’s gonna be _that_ weird, I’m sure she’d be happy to book a hotel.”

Tommy frowned. “Yeah, that’ll look real great. Everyone else is staying with you while me with a guest room makes Kim stay at a hotel?”

Jason eyed him carefully. “So it’s okay then?”

Tommy shook his head. “Yes, it’s fine. Just _suspicious,”_ he said.

Jason laughed and clapped a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “Right? I’m kinda sad to think I _didn’t_ plan this…”

Tommy shot him another glare for good measure.

\---x---

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Wednesday, June 6 th, 2:31pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

He heard the car door slam shut in his drive. Deliberately foregoing his phone in favor of the clock on the wall, he glanced at the time. _2:31pm._

“Are you fucking kidding, me?” he reasoned bitterly, grumbling at his ex-wife’s selfishness.

Tommy shook his head and stared back at the bags of groceries he’d raced home to deliver and unload.

The first text message came at nine this morning _._

_B THERE @ 11._

Then another at 9:30.

_SRY. MORE LIKE 12._

Fortunately he’d been up since eight, which nowadays was the equivalent of sleeping in for him. But hey, it was _his_ summer break too, right? No more pencils, no more books. No more teacher’s dirty looks.

Though he had managed at least _one_ dirty look. Having spent the better part of the morning cleaning the house and holding off his shopping trip, he scowled when the tiny illuminated screen pinged around 11:30.

_SEE YOU AT 2._

And he’d all but reached his limit when he’d pulled into the parking lot of the local market and heard his phone chime at 12:30.

_RUNNING LATE._

Resisting the urge to throw his phone out the window, Tommy scrambled into the co-op, completing a lap around the store that would have put his former days of stock car racing to shame, and arrived back in his driveway in less than an hour.

He’d have just enough time to unpack the items before anyone arrived. It was half past two now. Under normal circumstances he hardly would have noticed. He’d put away the groceries at a leisurely pace and wait for the knock on his door.

As it was, he’d only managed to unload the milk, having spent the better part of his time since rushing home to text, call, and finally, leave a voicemail for his ex-wife asking where the hell she was.

He set down the carton of milk he had in his hand and prayed it wouldn’t spoil by the time Heather was finished explaining to him where she’d packed all of Miles’ toys for the hundredth time. Like they didn’t do this every fucking week.

Tommy made his way toward the door, muttering the ludicrous and frankly, useless rejoinders she had spewed about the preciousness of her time. “ _I’m incredibly busy, Tommy…Greg and I have a very tight schedule…”_

His face fell as he walked out onto his front porch and realized it wasn’t Heather.

He was thoroughly unprepared. There _she_ was. Like, truly there in front of him. And there she’d be all summer.

“Kim,” he breathed.

She was as gorgeous as he could ever remember her being. Her skin was glowing, her hair long, spilling about past her shoulders. Her frame still tiny and slim, but with a bit of weight that gave her a few extra curves. Her toned legs displayed beneath the short sundress she wore. Her full mouth curling upwards to greet him.

She blinked and smiled. “Hi.”

Her throat tightened as she took him in. She’d seen him since he’d cut his hair, but she was still kind of in awe of how gorgeous he was even with it short. His face had the slightest hint of stubble. His jaw looked fuller, his neck thicker. And his body…

She remembered always being a bit stupid about Tommy’s physique back in high school. Long and lean with corded muscles everywhere. But to see him now…his tanned skin, trunks for arms. His chest barreled and sculpted through the fabric of his black t-shirt. His slim waist and hips accentuated by the bagginess of the sweat pants he wore.

They fumbled with their arms out for a moment, unsure how to greet each other. _Did they hug? How should they hug?_

He reached for her waist at first, as she reached for his neck. They stopped, realizing that was maybe too familiar. They each pulled their arms back and tried again. She went for his waist this time as he settled on wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

They pulled apart in seconds. Tommy cleared his throat as Kim bit down on her lip.

She fiddled with the handles of the bag she carried. “Umm, thank you. For—for putting me up. I know this is—“

He waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you decided to join us this year.”

She nodded, head down to study her shoes. “Yeah—I need to say this to Jason and Trini too but—“ she looked up to face him again. “I’m sorry for being MIA, I just—well, that’s maybe a conversation for later…”

He managed a small laugh. “Well, I’m sure we have plenty of things to catch up on, so it’s a date.”

They shared a smile as he turned to hold the door for her, silently permitting her entrance into his home.

A car horn and the sound of tires along the gravel stopped them. Tommy and Kim both turned to see a pale blue sedan pulling into the drive.

Now _that,_ was most definitely Heather.

_“Shit,”_ Tommy muttered.

He released the screen door, letting it shut behind him.

He gently moved Kim from his path. His long strides reached the approaching car before it stopped abruptly in the middle of the gravel.

A woman about their age stepped out of the front passenger side, Tommy already talking a mile a minute. The woman ran a hand through her sandy blonde hair and rolled her eyes before moving to open the backseat door.

The woman ushered out a little boy before reaching back into the car to retrieve something.

The little boy rushed to Tommy who bent down and captured the child in his arms. The boy laughed and squealed as Tommy flipped him upside down and spun him around.

The blonde reemerged holding a giant duffle, a smaller shoulder bag, and an orange and purple stuffed dinosaur.

The boy’s giggles subsided as Tommy set him down, stepping around the blonde to shut the car door as the woman set the duffel on the ground and handed the toy and shoulder bag off to Tommy.

Kim smiled as she watched the little boy reach for the toy as the two adults resumed their intense conversation. The woman looked up, locking eyes with the short brunette. Kim worried her bottom lip, suddenly feeling very much like a trespasser.

Tommy looked back at her as well and gave her a small smile before the woman said something and motioned up toward her. Tommy scowled and turned back to respond to the woman.

Kim’s fascination with the adults was torn away as her eyes dropped to the very small human who stood before her. His half smile hidden behind the fuzzy toy he held up to his face.

“Hi,” he said bashfully, peeking around the side of the plush.

“Hi,” Kim responded quietly, craning her head to view him better.

“I’m Miles,” he said, still half hiding.

“Hi, Miles. I’m Kimberly.”

The boy looked at his toy and whispered something to it. He held up the plush to his ear as if considering the reply. He nodded and dropped the dinosaur to his side.

“Hi,” the boy said again. “Monsto says hi too.”

Kim smiled before she could help herself. Large brown eyes looked back up at her, a goofy grin complete with a tiny row of teeth flashed wide. His mop of chin length curls bounced as he inclined his head to her.

“Miles, buddy, come grab your bag,” Tommy called out.

Kim and Miles looked up to see Tommy nudge the canvas duffel with his foot.

“Do you want to go together?” Kim asked, setting down her own bag on the porch and offered him a hand. He exchanged advice with Monsto for a moment, nodded and took her hand in his.

Her heart nearly exploded as she guided him down the steps. The other woman gave her a tight smile and turned her back to whisper into Tommy’s ear.

“She looks comfortable enough _to me,_ Tommy _.”_

Tommy rolled his eyes and matched her tone. “It’s not really any of your business even if she _was_ , Heather.”

Kim was close enough to hear them now. She inhaled sharply. She’d hardly recognized her. _God, it hadn’t been_ that _long ago._

_Heather._ The wife _. Err, ex-wife_ , now, she supposed. If Trini’s intel had been accurate.

Heather scrutinized Kim as Miles stopped at the bag and pointed.

“You get it!” Miles commanded her. Heather snickered.

Tommy frowned at the boy. “Miles, that’s your job, bud. You can take your own bag.”

Not wanting to overstep his father’s directive but wanting to indulge the child, Kimberly had an idea.

She grabbed the bag by the straps, barely lifting it above the floor before dropping her shoulder and feigned at the weight of it.

“Oh no! It’s so heavy! I can’t lift it! Miles, I think I need your help!”

Miles bounced excitedly and ran to Tommy. “Daddy do it! Daddy lift it!”

Tommy opened his mouth to correct him as Kim shot him a look.

“I don’t know…I don’t think he can lift it either.”

Miles screwed his face into a determined furrow and ran to her side, the dinosaur abandoned as he hoisted the bag and held it clumsily in his hands like a ragdoll.

“I’m got it, I’m got it!”

Kim smiled at him. “Yay! You got it! You are so strong!”

“I’m so shrong! Mommy! Daddy look!” Miles took off at a clip, his footfalls clumsy as he ran carrying the bag nearly his size.

Tommy smiled and bent down to retrieve Monsto as Heather simpered.

Kim gave a bashful smile and tucked a hair behind her ear. She moved to usher the boy back toward the house, leaving the adults to continue their discussion in private.

Heather nudged Tommy with her elbow. Kim stopped as Tommy cleared his throat.

“Kim, you remember Heather? Heather, Kim? You met at Jason and Trini’s wedding.”

“Yes, of course,” Kim offered her hand, “I was the maid of honor, if that helps?”

Heather shook Kim’s hand. “Oh, I know who you are. The _famous_ _Kimberly.”_

Kim snickered. “I guess,” she said, pulling away from the handshake.

Kim motioned in the direction the boy had run off. “You were still pregnant, I think…”

Heather keened. “Oh God, yes that’s right.” She laughed sort of sheepishly and turned to hide her face against Tommy’s shoulder, resting her hand on his arm. “I was as big as a house back then, do you remember, Tommy?”

Tommy’s brow rose in ambivalent recognition. Heather shook her head as if thoroughly amused and looked back to Kim conspiratorially.

“He kept assuring me how beautiful I looked, but I just wouldn’t believe him.”

Tommy gave a tight smile as his knuckles brushed against Heather’s hand to push her off of him. Kim’s eye twitched at the move before looking back up.

“Uh, so that makes Miles, what? Three? Two and a half?” Kim guessed.

“Just turned three in May,” Tommy supplied. Kim nodded as Heather turned back to her.

“So, Kim, I’m sure you must be married with a bunch of kids of your own by now?”

Tommy shifted slightly in his spot, his own curiosity to the question peaked.

Kim caught his face and dropped her head to snicker. “Uh, no.”

Heather frowned. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

Kim rolled her eyes before lifting her head to face Heather again. She flashed a strained smile. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

Heather nodded sympathetically. “Yeah, no. Of course. Just never found the right guy, huh?”

Tommy gave Heather a sideways glance.

Kim sucked on her teeth, trying desperately to keep her face neutral. At her silence, Heather chimed in again.

“Well I’m sure he’s out there somewhere, sweetie.”

_Sweetie?_ Kim’s eyes narrowed. _Oh, she wanted to play dirty? Fine._

“Oh I found him, just couldn’t keep him. Which, I guess, you would know all about what that’s like, right?”

Heather’s jaw ticked, as if to silently tell the shorter woman, _well played._

“Well, we should get going,” Heather said, “Incredibly busy.”

She scooted past Tommy and moved back to the front passenger door.

Kim snatched the stuffed dinosaur from Tommy’s hands as he caught her eyes. He could barely contain his smirk as Kim strangled the plush toy.

Miles came running back outside. Without a word Kim grabbed the bag from Tommy’s shoulder and hoisted it onto her own. Tommy eyed her for a moment longer before turning back to the boy and lifted him into his arms.

“Say bye bye,” He instructed. “Say bye bye, Mommy.”

“Bye bye Mommy.”

Heather kissed the top of Miles’ head and smoothed out his hair.

“All of his toys and his tablet are in the duffel with his clothes, and his medicine should be in the other bag, and I’ve also included the numbers for the resort, and all the emergency contacts.”

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, I got it.”

“And I beg you, take him to Michelle’s for a haircut.” Heather opened the door and slid back into the car.

Tommy readjusted Miles on his hip and squatted to view the man in the driver’s seat.

“Hey Greg,” Tommy said, tipping his chin. “Always a pleasure.”

Heather rolled her eyes as Greg gave a silent, sheepish wave. Tommy shut her door as she rolled down the window.

“We’ll be back after the Fourth,” she said. She gave Kim a tight smile before turning back to Miles. “Bye baby! Mommy loves you!”

“Bye mommy! I’m love you too.”

Kim smiled in spite of the annoyance she felt, as Heather disappeared behind the ascending window once more.

Tommy held up Miles’ hand to wave once more as the car pulled out of the gravel drive.

He set the boy down on the ground. “Okay bud, why don’t you show Kim how fast you can run into the house by yourself.”

Miles looked up at Kim.“Kimbree you see me?”

“Yes I see you!”

“Kay. I’m run over there!” Miles pointed fiercely toward the front door.

He took off like a shot. Not terribly gracefully, but quickly nonetheless.

Tommy watched the boy as Kim cleared her throat.

He motioned after the disappearing vehicle. “Can you believe that guy didn’t even get out of the car one time?”

Tommy turned back to her as he took the bag from off her shoulder. They started walking back toward the house.

Kim mindlessly picked at the fur on the stuffed animal she still held in her hands.

“Well, I’m sure he felt about as welcome as I did.”

Tommy frowned. “What are you talking about? You got Miles to help out in nothing flat,” he smiled as he mimicked her, “ _Oh this is so heavy. Help!”_

She nudged him with her hip. “Just can’t say no to a damsel in distress. Must run in the family.”

He chuckled as they climbed up the front steps, stopping just before the door.

“I meant about Heather,” she clarified.

“Don’t worry about it,” he assured her, propping the door and allowing her entry.

“She’d kill me for telling you this but,” he smirked, “if it had been _anyone else_ , she would have been way nicer.”

Kim blinked as he waved her inside. She bent down to retrieve her bag from the porch as Miles burst through the door.

“I’m got it! I’m got it! Only I’m shrong!” He shouted, grabbing the bag from her.

Kim’s bag was actually heavier than his had been, and the boy had to settle for dragging it by the handles. She laughed as he hiked the bag up over the threshold.

“Thank you! My goodness, what a gentleman,” she said, following the boy inside.

Miles nodded, his tongue hanging out of his mouth in concentration. “Welcome.”

Tommy breezed past as she paused in the entry. Kim looked around the house, taking it all in. It was more open than she’d expected, given the sort of cozy, rustic outer façade.

You walked right into the living room upon entering. A deep brick red color covered the walls, mixed with blonde wood paneling. A doublewide archway leading into a sage green kitchen straight ahead.

To the left of the front door was a small section of wall before it stopped and turned down a hallway. A flat screen TV was hung on the short panel, just above a distressed wooden cabinet.

In the center of the room sat a leather couch covered in woven blankets. Before that, a dark stained coffee table, and a very familiar recliner. She smiled when she recognized the chair from the Oliver’s family den.

She turned to her right to survey the far wall. A pair of repurposed ladders made into bookshelves jutted out from the corner. A few potted plants and another door set into the wall.

Tommy re-entered the living room and clapped his hands together.

“Okay buddy, stuff’s in your room. Do you remember where that is?”

Miles dropped Kim’s bag unceremoniously to the floor and nodded vigorously. He pointed in the direction down the hall.

“You wanna go unpack your toys?”

Miles nodded. “Is Kimbree come too?”

Tommy chuckled. “Well, _Kimbree’s_ gotta go to her own room first.”

Miles turned to her. “You have your room too?”

Kim nodded grabbing her bag where Miles had dropped it and hoisted it onto her shoulder. “Yep. For the whole summer,” she told him, handing off the plush to the boy.

Miles took the dinosaur and held it in his arms. Tommy knelt down to the boy’s level and smiled. “You wanna help me show her to her room?”

Miles held up a hand to his mouth as he dangled the plush toy in the other. He looked around the room and pointed to the door against the wall.

Tommy chuckled nervously as he shot Kim a look. “Ah, nope. That’s daddy’s room.”

Kimberly bit her lip as a small blush crept up her cheeks.

Miles pointed once more down the hall.

“Yeah, there we go!” Tommy nodded, moving to stand and guiding the boy by his shoulders. “Come on, let’s show her where she’s staying.”

“Okay Kimbree. Show you where’s staying.”” Miles cheered, bouncing as he led them down the hall.

Kim followed, coming up behind Tommy as Miles stopped at the right hand door.

He pointed to the door across the way. “That’s Kimbree’s,” he said.

Tommy smiled as he ushered the boy into his room. “I’ll let you get settled. Holler if you need anything, we’ll be in here.”

Kim nodded before turning to enter her room.

She shut the door with a soft click as she dropped her bag onto the bench at the end of the bed.

She glanced around the room. The deep peach walls and crocheted quilt atop the cream bedspread felt very out of place, as if she’d just stepped into a completely different house.

She wasn’t sure who’d decorated this particular room, but it definitely hadn’t been Tommy. Which suddenly led her to consider the fact that he and Heather might have lived here together at one point. She frowned. The décor didn’t seem like Heather’s taste either, not that Kim knew that for certain. But the blonde seemed to have a more modern aesthetic, if her appearance was any indication. Her trendy but perfectly tousled, short blonde hair and the stark red painted lip; the crisp white tunic she’d worn over her fitted black leggings and boots. Everything accentuating the fitness, height, and wealth she possessed. The woman was striking, in an austere sort of way. _Cold. Frigid._

Kim snickered at her catty thoughts. She unzipped her bag and moved to open the set of louvered doors in the corner. The closet was bare, save for the empty hangers and an extra blanket folded over the bar.

She returned to her bag, removing her toiletries from the top, and began divvying up a few of her garments to later be hung.

She looked down at herself as she considered the look of the other woman. Gently worn but clean white tennis shoes and a pale pink sundress she was pretty sure she’d had since high school. Kim turned to the small mirror on the wall and examined her reflection.

She spent a lot of her time outside nowadays. The light bronze of her skin attested to that, as did the golden highlights that streaked her hair. She wore little makeup. A bit of blush, mascara and lip gloss. Such was her routine these last few years.

Kim held up her hand. A faint tan line lingered from where she’d worn her ring.

She looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. “Kim?”

“Come in,” she said, moving back to her bag.

Tommy opened the door and gave her a small smile. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” she nodded, pulling out a few more items to hang up.

“The room ok? You have everything you need?“

“Yeah, I think so. The room’s great,” she said. He leaned against the opened door as she continued to unpack.

“Thank you again, for letting me stay here. I hope it’s—“ she bit her lip. “It’s not awkward, right?”

He snickered. “Why would it be?”

She shrugged. “Well, you know what I mean, we haven’t really talked, or kept in touch like everyone else…”

She moved to the closet and started to transfer her clothes to their hangers.

He watched her for a moment, considering her words. “Well, that’s what these summer reunions are for, right? Give us all a chance to hang out and catch up.”

She nodded absently. “Yeah, I guess so…” she shot him a quick smile.

“You talked to Jase or Trini yet? They know you got in ok?”

“Yeah, Jason texted me your address so I even knew where to go—“

Tommy chuckled. “Oh yeah, you don’t even have my number do you?”

She gave him a sheepish grin. He pulled out his phone and poised his finger to text her his number before realizing he didn’t have hers anymore either. He slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“Remind later me to give that to you.”

She nodded, shuffling a few smaller items still inside her bag and zipped it back up before tossing it onto the bed. She collapsed onto the bench and swung her legs absently. Her arms propped at her sides, gripping the edge of the seat.

“I thought maybe I’d swing by their place for a bit, say hey, let them know I made it.”

Tommy nodded. “Sure, sure. You remember where you’re going?”

She shot him a playful glare. “Yes, it hasn’t been _that_ long.” She snickered. “Can _you_ remember where they live?”

“Very funny,” He smirked, “And yes, I can. Seeing them all the time sort of helps with the whole memory thing.”

She snorted, leaning back onto the bench with her legs now crossed, her elbows resting behind her on the bed.

“Geez, it’s a wonder you can even remember _me,_ then.”

He folded his arms across his chest and shot her a knowing look. “Oh, I don’t think I’m likely to forget _you_ anytime soon.”

She arched a brow, her face challenging, but playful.

He straightened up fully and cleared his throat, his hand at the knob of the door.

“Well, Miles is occupied for the moment and I need to _finally_ put away all my groceries but uh—you wanna maybe grab dinner and drinks tonight? Catch up?”

She sat back up, nervously playing with her hands as they came to rest in her lap.

“Yeah, that sounds great. Just us or, should I invite Jason and Trini—?”

He nodded lamely. “Yeah, yeah—I mean, it’s up to you. If you’d rather it be just us, that’s cool. Rocky and Aisha got in a few nights ago, so I know they’d be happy to see you too. But I mean, we’ll be seeing everybody the whole time you’re all here anyway so, whatever you want to do.”

She bit her lip and smiled bashfully. “Yeah, let’s just you and I go. It uh—it might be better, err— _nicer_ to have a chance to talk one on one.”

He gave her a soft chuckle. “Okay great,” he checked his phone. “It’s a little after three now, you wanna meet someplace or come back here and go together?”

“I was just gonna take off like this to see Jason and Trini so—“ She frowned a bit and spared a mindless glance back at the closet.

She shrugged. “Yeah, let’s go together. Give me a chance to come back and get cleaned up first.”

He nodded. “Okay, then, do you wanna say we leave here by seven, seven-thirty? That enough time?”

“Sure. That’s great.”

He gave another quick nod and started to leave. “Okay, I’ll call my mom and have her look after Miles while we’re gone. She’ll be excited to see you.”

Kim smiled. “Yeah, it’ll be good to see her too.”

He snickered. “Oh, and make sure to tell her what a great job she did with this place,” he gestured at the room around them. “It’ll make her day to prove me wrong.”

He nodded on his way out. “See you in a bit.”

Kim smiled. “Yeah.”

He shut the door behind him. Kim returned to her bag, fishing her phone and her keys.

So his mom was the designer culprit. Well, that certainly confirmed some of Kim’s suspicions. Though it did little to prove whether or not Heather had ever lived in the house at some point. Not that it mattered, really. Just something about the idea made Kim feel a little uneasy. That same flicker of trespass she’d felt earlier when she’d first caught Heather staring back at her from the driveway. Like Kim was now standing where she had once stood. As if she was a wrongfully ousted monarch forced to watch their successor ascend to the throne.

Kim chided herself. It was obvious by Tommy’s demeanor that Heather was not an entirely welcomed visitor. Necessary, obviously, dictated by whatever the former couple’s custody arrangements were. But Heather was hardly a victim of circumstance. Though Kim didn’t know all the details surrounding hers and Tommy’s divorce.

She supposed she’d find out tonight, though, when they’d finally get the chance to catch up. Assuming of course, he was willing to share. _She_ certainly had a lot to disclose.

Yeah, it was definitely better if the two of them spoke alone. Some of her life in the last 12 years was already common knowledge. Other parts, only shared with those closest to her, like Trini, Aisha and Jason. Zack too, knew some of her most recent news.

But Tommy knew virtually nothing. Sure, there were probably a handful of things the gang had kept him apprised of. And she had seen him a few times over the last decade or so. Three times, in fact, though none of their meetings had been particularly fruitful.

She glanced into the kitchen on her way out. Tommy pried the lid to a bucket of yogurt, sniffing the contents. He shrugged and opened the fridge to set it inside.

He stopped as he spun back to the table. He stuffed another plastic sack inside an older one, creating a substantial ball from the recycled bags.

“Hey,” he greeted her, “You heading out?”

“Yeah, I just texted Trini to give her the head’s up.”

He nodded, hanging the collection of bags off the side of the fridge.

“Well, say hey for me. Tell Rocky and Aisha I can’t wait to see them,” he said.

”Will do,” she nodded, “Be back in a bit.” She started for the door.

“Oh, hey, Kim?”

She glanced over her shoulder.

“Do you still like Mexican food?” he wondered.

She smiled. “Yeah.”

He nodded. “Great. There’s a cool place out by the pier I thought we could go to tonight. They got great margaritas if that sounds good—I just, didn’t know if—ya know, if you still—“

  
She laughed. “Yeah, margaritas and Mexican sounds perfect.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Okay, cool.”

She smiled. “Okay…well, bye.”

“Bye.”

He groaned as she shut the front door. _“Yeah, real smooth, Tommy.”_ He berated himself.

It was an absurd notion to think that this 31 year-old man who’d been a _literal_ superhero, and had lived more lives than most could imagine, who furthermore had dated his fair share of women and not only now had an ex-wife, but a _child,_ would somehow still manage to get a bit tongue-tied asking a girl out to dinner.

Besides, it wasn’t like it was an _actual_ date, despite his pithy comment earlier. He and Kim hadn’t seen one another on the regular like the rest of them did. They had a lot to catch up on. He felt a pang of guilt about that. Even once they were broken up, he still cared about her. Their breakup had been rough, sure, replete with all the compulsory hard feelings that comes from being dumped.

But they’d moved past it. Well, maybe not right away. The Muiranthias incident had thrown him for a loop. Kim was the last person he had expected to see on the viewing globe. Add to the fact that she had been captured, her traveling companion was Jason, he was now dating Kat, and he and Kim hadn’t spoken since their breakup. It all made for a terribly confusing mission.

But after that, time had healed the wound naturally. Sure, there were little things that lingered, questions he still had. But he was heading back for grad school by the time he’d seen her again. And they had exchanged pleasantries at Adam and Tanya’s wedding. And by then, he’d been dating a colleague he’d met in his undergrad, that relationship didn’t last either, but it had ended thankfully on good terms.

Their chatter was brief, and with a certain air of aloof sentimentality. They had each become someone that they used to know.

Until of course, Heather reentered into his life. He supposed it was partly because seeing Heather again reminded him of how they’d met in the first place. Causing his mind to dip back into the pool of memories associated with the short brunette.

The mystique created by Kim’s absence only served to further fracture the growing tenuousness of his relationship with Heather.

He knew he and Kim would be civil when they saw each other this trip.

There was no explicit animosity when they’d last met, just an unbidden sense of guilt and, if he was honest, regret.

He maintained his suspicions over the convenience of Jason’s suggestion that Kim be the one to stay with him this summer. But he was hopeful that they’d at least have the opportunity to regain some semblance of friendship that had been lost over time.

What he hadn’t counted on, were the nerves that had resurfaced upon her arrival.

A touch of inelegance he could anticipate. They had been out of touch long enough that adjusting to their current, older versions of each other might take a minute.

No, the nerves he was currently having were decidedly more _amorous_ in nature. The kind of bumbling and appeasing that comes from a young man doing his level best to appear cool and confident.

He could only justify a smidge of ineptitude caused by her physical appearance. The rest, well, maybe it was better not to overthink it.

As he’d learned firsthand from his paleontology days, _you don’t start digging hoping to find nothing._

\---x---


	2. Keep 'Em Coming

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Wednesday, June 6 th, 7:06pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Kimberly looked at him through the mirror.

He was staring back intently as she applied her mascara. She’d tried to hold him off when she’d come out of the shower, narrowly avoiding a horribly awkward situation as he ran into her room while she was only wearing a towel.

But fortunately, Grandma Oliver had arrived by then, and Miles had gotten distracted by the older woman’s presence long enough for Kim to get dressed.

But that was short lived. After a minute of open-mouthed smooches and suffocating hugs from his grandmother, Miles had taken off once more, running around the house in dizzying laps and opening every door he could find. He’d only settled down once more when Kim had allowed him access into her room again to watch her apply her makeup. He sat on the bench, his head inclined as Kim’s mouth parted while she ran the wand up and through her lashes.

She smiled when she saw him mimic her face, his trusty companion Monsto seated on the bench beside him.

She switched to the other eye. “Is a Monsto a boy?” Kim asked.

Miles shook his head. “Oh, Monsto’s a girl?” Miles shook his head again.

“Oh,” Kim laughed. “How progressive of them.”

Miles giggled. Kim smiled. Certain he was reacting more to her own laughter than her comment.

“What’s at on your face?” He pointed to her.

She held up the wand. “This? This is called mascara.”

“Mascra,” he repeated. Kim nodded.

“It goes on your eyelashes and makes them all long and pretty.”

“Mascra,” Miles tested out the word. Kim replaced the wand inside the tube and spun around to face him.

“You don’t need it cause you have already have long and pretty eyelashes,” she said.

Miles stared up at her as she grabbed her bag and set in her lap. She took a seat on the other side of him, careful not to displace Monsto.

“You have eyelashes like your daddy,” Kim mused, digging through her small pouch of jewelry.

She let Miles paw at the items in her bag while she searched what she was looking for.

“What’s for?” He held up one silver hoop.

“That goes in your ear,” she explained, gently tugging on one of his own. Miles grabbed her ear in return.

She motioned to the earring. “What do you think? Should I wear these?”

He prodded her ear. “Is hole for that?” He asked.

“Do you wanna see?” She asked. He nodded. Kim took up the hoop and slipped the post through her piercing, securing the back.

Miles went to grab the hoop. Kim winced as she stilled his hands. “Ooh, be careful, honey. That can hurt, okay?”

Miles snapped his hand back. “I can wear too?”

Kim smiled. “Well, you could. Some earrings you can wear even if you don’t have them pierced like me. But I don’t have any of those. And you don’t have yours pierced.”

Kim held up the other hoop. “Do you wanna help me put this one on?”

Miles nodded. Kim set the bag aside as Miles held the hoop. Kim helped him to sit in her lap as she moved her hair out of the way to expose her bare ear.

“Okay, do you see that tiny little hole?” She demonstrated how to poke the post into her ear.

He took the earring back and tried it himself. She flinched when he accidentally stabbed her. He stuck his tongue out, a move she’d quickly come to recognize, determined to get the earring on as she’d shown him.

He got it, smiling as Kim cheered. But he’d not remembered to secure the back and the hoop came tumbling out into Kim’s lap. Miles looked confused. Kim showed him what had gone wrong. She pried him off her lap and reinserted the hoop into her ear and closed the clasp.

“Your daddy had his ears pierced when he was little, did you know that?”

Miles blinked back at her. She smiled and reached out to brush a tendril off his face. The boy’s dark brown curly hair leveled at his chin. It was a bit of a mess currently, but she thought him precious with his full head of hair.

He looked so much like Tommy it was eerie. True, she hadn’t known Heather well enough to know if what she saw reflected in the boy was more like her but, just from a general glance, the boy was a spitting image of his father.

“Something smells good,” Tommy shut the door to his bedroom and wandered into the kitchen.

He hovered over his mom’s shoulder. “Damn, maybe we should just eat here.”

“Too bad, I only made enough for me and Miles.” She waved him away.

He checked his reflection in the wall oven door. He futzed with his hair, raking his fingers through the spikes he’d tried to set with gel earlier.

He backed up and presented himself. “Do I look okay?”

She eyed him carefully. “Sure.”

He frowned. “Thanks, mom.”

She laughed and tapped the spoon against the rim of the pot she’d been stirring, knocking off the excess sauce and setting the spoon to rest on a towel by the stove.

“You always look handsome,” she chided, “Don’t be a ninny.”

He rolled his eyes.

She sat at the table. “Is there something you need to tell me?” She wondered.

“What are you talk—no,” he scoffed, “What do you mean?”

Patty nudged her head towards the arch. “You said you and Kim hadn’t talked in years.”

“We haven’t, so what?”

She snickered at her son’s obtuseness. “It was nice to see her again this evening.”

Tommy nodded.

“So you two are going to Borde del Mundo, huh? That’s a nice place.”

Tommy shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess.”

Patty studied him for a moment. Leaning up against the kitchen sink, arms folded over his chest. Trying his best to appear aloof. She didn’t know why he bothered.

“Miles seems to like her,” Patty said.

Tommy smiled almost reflexively at the thought. Patty smirked.

“I suppose she is rather nice to look at, isn’t she?” Patty said.

Tommy shot his mom a look. She laughed at the apprehended expression he wore.

“Oh, you are just too easy my dear.” Patty stood and crossed over to him. He grimaced as she smoothed out his black dress shirt.

“Please don’t lick your hands and touch my hair.”

She gave him a playful smack. “When did you get so fussy?” she mumbled, straightening his collar.

“Roll up your sleeves and lose another button up top.”

He scowled behind her back as she returned to her cooking. He grumbled as he undid the second button along the neck and started to release the cuffs, tucking and folding the fabric until it reached his elbow.

“Better?”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Much.”

He shook his head in mild annoyance as Kim entered carrying Miles.

Patty gave her a smile. “Hello again Kimberly,”

“Hi,” Kim said, setting Miles down. “Sorry to keep you waiting, we had a slight Monsto fiasco.”

Tommy’s brow rose. “Uh oh.” He spun around to see Miles climbing up into a kitchen chair. “What happened with Monsto?”

“Well, it seems that Monsto was super curious about all of Kimbree’s makeup.”

Tommy snorted as Kim scrunched up her nose. “I hope Monsto is machine washable.”

He smiled, stepping back to actually notice her. “You look great.”

She blushed and bit her lip. “Thanks. So do you.”

He gave her a bashful grin.

Patty eyed the two from her spot at the stove as she shoveled a scoop of pasta onto a plate.

Tommy cleared his throat and turned back to his son. “Well, we should probably get going.”

He placed a kiss atop the boy’s head and ruffled his hair. “We’ll be back in a bit, bud. Be good for Gamma, okay?”

Miles nodded distractedly as Patty set the plate of pasta in front of the boy as she reached up to kiss her son on the cheek.

“Thanks again, mom. We won’t be out too late.”

Patty shushed him. “Take your time. I’ll be here.”

He nodded and waved goodbye to Miles again. The boy ignored him, busily chewing his pasta.

“Bye Miles,” Kim offered. Miles held up his hand in a feeble sort of wave, still engrossed in his food.

Tommy rolled his eyes and laughed as he turned to guide Kim out the door.

“Bye Mrs. Oliver, it was good to see you again.”

“You too Hon, I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.”

Kim smiled and spun back towards the door as Tommy led them out.

Patty sighed as she watched them go. _“_ I think you’re daddy’s in trouble…” chuckling as she turned back to dish her own plate of pasta.

Miles grunted and smashed his hands into his food. “Shouble, shouble!”

\---x---

_Borde del Mundo  
_ _Wednesday, June 13 th, 9:14pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Tommy sighed. “We spent Thanksgiving that year with Jason and Trini. Howie and Vanessa had just been born, so they couldn’t travel just yet. We got to Christmas and neither of us could agree on whose family we’d be going to see. I tried to explain that my dad had been in and out of the hospital a lot recently and it was really important for me to see him. Heather said her mom deserved to see her grandchild—I tried to argue the same—but we couldn’t agree on anything so— in the end, she took Miles to see her mom and I went and saw my folks alone. She came back two weeks later and asked for a divorce.”

Kim gave a sympathetic groan. “Wow. I’m so sorry.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well, it had been a long time coming. We filed pretty quickly. Met with a mediator before we got any lawyers involved. And I didn’t contest the divorce, so— all in all, it was fairly painless. The hardest part was the custody hearings.”

Kim shook her head. “I can’t imagine having to negotiate something like that.”

“Miles was barely three. So naturally Heather fought like hell to use that in her favor. Saying she was the mother, she shouldn’t be separated from him. I had leverage, I guess. I could have told them about how she reacted to even being pregnant, but that felt cruel somehow. She’d changed after—I don’t mean to give the wrong impression. She’s not a bad mother, whatever she felt about the whole thing before Miles was born. Doesn’t really matter now. She’s been great with him these past few years. It’s me she’s shitty with. Not that it’s not entirely unwarranted I suppose…anyway, it all worked out in the end, right? Joint custody and all that.”

“I can’t believe you have a son….” She shook her head at the glory of it all.

He smiled ruefully. “I know….” He smirked. “So, your turn.”

She snorted. “Oh, you don’t wanna hear about my stupid life after everything you’ve been through.”

He smiled. “Try me. “ He tilted his head expectantly, waiting for her to answer.

“Well, where to start?”

He snickered. “How about the beginning?”

She bit her lip. “Well, obviously I won at the Pan Globals.”

She smiled bashfully. “It was such an out of body experience. I mean, I had been in Florida training with Coach Schmidt for less than six months…”

Tommy smiled, he remembered watching her on TV. He’d called her to congratulate her, told her he loved her and how proud of her he was.

That had been a month before he’d gotten her letter.

“But I barely had anytime to celebrate, we moved straight into the Olympic Trials. _Mark_ and I were both being fast tracked for places on the USA teams. We were both pretty high ranking and it was a big deal to have two 17 year-olds get as far as we did. Especially me—most female gymnasts have aged out by the time their 20—so, we were together at all these press junkets, and interviews, and of course we had trained together since day one…”

Tommy watched her as she spoke. She hoped Tommy wouldn’t press her for more details, letting all the things she didn’t say fill in the blanks.

“And I don’t know if it was the sudden realization that I wouldn’t be graduating with all my friends, or the reality of having given up my powers or maybe just—missing… _home…”_

Kim stumbled at the last word and shot him a quick look. He was still listening but his expression was stoic. She cleared her throat.

“Anyway, I told Mark that I was thinking of quitting. He told me it was ridiculous to give up my spot and the chance to go to the Olympics. But then I told him I didn’t know if I even wanted to stay _in_ _Florida_ anymore. He told me I didn’t care enough about him, which led to a huge fight and us almost breaking up.“

There. There was as much absolute confirmation as she could muster, in case Tommy was still waiting for her to admit that she and Mark had actually dated, of if he’d somehow inexplicably missed it. She doubted it would be the latter.

“I was just really overwhelmed by everything. Mark assured me that all the nostalgia I was feeling was normal. And I realized that even if I came back home, I wouldn’t have much to _come home to_ , so…”

She spared him a sad smile. He swallowed a lump in his throat. They were both so sure they’d moved on from their break up. It had been over ten years. But something about dredging it all back up, hearing the bits and pieces you’d always wondered about, it made them both a bit contemplative, and maybe even a bit sad all over again.

“So I stayed in Florida, sort of begrudgingly, and took a job as an assistant coach. It paid well, and I still got to do gymnastics without the pressure of competing. Mark and I didn’t see each other as much now that he was training all the time…but he was like, on his best behavior after the almost break up…”

Tommy snickered. He didn’t know Mark, never met him, blessedly. But he understood the best behavior thing. He’d played that card a few times after some fairly tenuous fights with past girlfriends.

Tommy nodded for her to continue.

“But things were never quite the same. By the fall, I had all but made up my mind that I wanted to leave. I was antsy, and restless. I hated that I still had classes on top of everything else. Things with Mark got strained. He asked me to meet his parents. I was totally freaked out. It was way too soon for that and we weren’t getting along at all. But I had no other plans at that point. And then Jason called. He was going back to Switzerland for winter break to see Trini and Zack and he said I should go with him.”

Tommy chuckled at that. He knew a part of that phone call had been at his own behest. Other than Jason, no one on the current team had talked to Kim much since she and Tommy had broken up. A sign of solidarity, he supposed. But he’d wanted a way to check in on her without doing it himself. He’d wanted to, but his pride wouldn’t let him.

Tommy also knew, that Jason had just lost the Gold Ranger powers, broken up with Emily, and was set to graduate early thanks to his work at the Peace Conference. He’d already moved out of his parents’ house. Rented a townhouse in Reefside, get away for a while. Tommy knew better than most the desire to be alone after losing your powers. And so Jason’s future was a bit up in the air. Inviting Kim to Europe had served many purposes.

Kim smiled. “It was all I could do to not just take off right then. I would have gladly waited on the stoop of the Scott’s house until it was time to leave. No one would even have to worry about me. I’d just hang out in the mean time, and sleep in my suitcase, like a little Disney mouse.”

Tommy started laughing at the sheer glee on her face. It was electric, to see her smile like that again. The cute face she made when she’d described herself as a mouse, the way she bit her lip for fear he might find her silly.

He licked his lips and ducked his head, suddenly fascinated by the mosaic table.

“Jason flew out to Florida first. He met Mark. And _that_ went about as well as I expected it to.” She rolled her eyes.

Tommy snickered, daring to look back up at her. “Jason doesn’t like him?”

Kim eyed him carefully. She caught his phrasing. She didn’t correct him. He’d find out Mark was in the past tense soon enough.

She chose a signature phrase. “Like, duh.”

They both laughed. Kim elaborated.

“Jase has always been super protective of me, and _you’re_ his best friend—and Mark, like a dummy, thought there was something going on with me and Jason and I just—did I mentioned how excited I was to get out of Florida?”

Tommy smirked. “Mark’s not the first guy to think that you and Jase were dating.”

Kim dismissed him with a wave. “Yeah, yeah. But like, _eww_ , _gross.”_

He chuckled. Kim laughed at her antics and shook her head wistfully.

“That trip was absolutely everything I needed it to be. A total escape from all my dumb choices up to that point, and with three of my best friends.”

She got a bit emotional as she described her memory. Tommy propped his head against his hand and listened.

“I thought I might break Trini I hugged her so hard. Zack took us dancing. I told everyone what I’d been up to. Jason filled us in on how everyone back home was—

and then of course, Trini and Jason got together, like, _finally_.”

Tommy nodded. “Yeah…he’d been planning that for a moment.”

_“Those two crazy kids…”_ She sighed wistfully. “I didn’t want it to end. I had missed this. I missed my friends. So, Jason and I flew back, made plans for spring break and then I broke up with Mark, for real.”

Tommy looked at her in surprise. “Really?” he snickered. “You know, if you were trying to convince him that you and Jason weren’t dating, breaking up with him right after coming back from Europe with the guy was probably not the way to do it.”

Kim grimaced. “True. And I probably would have waited if I had known how Mark would react.”

Tommy frowned at that. Kim dropped her head. If she thought it was hard telling Tommy about _dating_ Mark, she didn’t know if she was entirely ready to tell him about their breakup.

“It turns out, Mark’s a really angry, possessive guy. I don’t think he _actually_ thought something was going on with me and Jase, but—he had an epiphany or something, cause he flipped out when I told him it was over.”

Tommy’s jaw ticked. He had a terrible feeling he already knew where her story was headed.

She steadied herself. This was undoubtedly one of the hardest things she’d ever done. And that included saving the world at fifteen years old.

“He...hit me.”

She knew without focusing on him that Tommy was seething across the table. God help her if she started crying. Actually, _God help Mark._

It might have been 12 years since they’d dated, and their friendship into adulthood might have been spotty up to this point, but she knew as well he did that they still cared about each other.

She reached for her drink and took a huge sip, more for the distraction than even the alcohol. Though that helped too.

She set the glass back on the table and spared a look to Tommy. As suspected, he was staring back at her intently. His nostrils slightly flared and his mouth pulled into a hard, thin line.

“He, uh—“ Kim started again. Her hand unconsciously flew up to her temple, thinking about where Mark had struck her hardest.

The impact had left her face red and swollen before a huge bruise appeared. She looked like she got hit in the face. There was absolutely no other way to account for her appearance. She wasn’t competing anymore, she couldn’t use falling off an apparatus as a reason. And because of their high profile status within the program, everyone knew they were dating. Mark would undoubtedly be accused. Kimberly’s reputation might suffer, but his entire career would be over.

“All I’d wanted was to be done with him,” Kim explained. “I’d settle for covering his ass if it meant he would stay away from me for good.”

Tommy still said nothing. She didn’t know in this moment if she was more grateful or worried over his silence. She went on regardless.

“So we said I had been assaulted by some random guy,” she scoffed. “Mark played the part of the concerned boyfriend when we went public with our excuse. It was actually kind of easy after that. If people wondered why they never saw us together anymore we’d just spin something about me having flashbacks to the attack or feeling vulnerable and distant—which I suppose wasn’t _entirely untrue_ , so…”

Kim bypassed the need to look back up at Tommy at this point. She knew what he was thinking. But she supposed there was also a bit of fear that she’d find judgment in his eyes. Or shoot her now _, pity._

“I debated for months whether or not to tell anyone the truth. But Mark had kept his word and stayed away from me and by then my bruise had healed so it didn’t seem _as necessary,_ I guess? I don’t know. Maybe I was just ready to forget about it.”

She rubbed a hand to her temple once more and sighed.

”Anyway, Jason got in touch with me again before spring break. He knew I’d say yes to just about anything if it meant I could leave Florida so, I flew back to California. Ironic, isn’t it? I flew _away_ from Florida for spring break?”

She managed a small nervous laugh chuckle. “And then one fateful day, Jason and I decided to go scuba diving…”

Tommy nodded in understanding. “Muiranthias…”

Kim’s head shot up. It was the first he’d spoken since she’d started the whole Mark saga.

She willed herself to keep looking at him. Mercifully, she didn’t find a trace of pity in his expression. Though there was perhaps a bit of judgment. And maybe some anger too. Though now that Muiranthias had been mentioned, it was hard to know if his steely expression was from that particular disaster, or if he was still coming off of hearing about Mark.

Despite his inscrutable look, Kim felt better having finally told the one other person she was most afraid of telling about that dark spot in her life.

Jason, of course, had been the other. Of which she’d told him while being held hostage by Divatox. She supposed that was an unfair way to confess something so profound, but they were trapped on a potentially alien planet with no certainty of surviving. At least this way, there was some assurance that Jason couldn’t immediately hunt Mark down and kill him.

But they did survive. And Jason was always in big-brother mode on a _good_ day.

After hearing her story, he’d gone into hyper-drive. His increased dotage and attention to her in the aftermath had resulted in one of the most awkward rescues she’d ever been a part of. Normally everyone’s just grateful to be alive, with previous slights or squabbles promptly eschewed in favor of hugs and kisses.

Well, there had been a _few_ hugs. Adam and Rocky had been insanely happy to see her and Jason both.

Tanya, _who really only knew Jason_ , and Kat, _though there were no hugs_ , had at least been glad their friends were okay.

Neither she nor Jason knew Justin, and the young boy had seemed more excited to be a Power Ranger before anything else.

But _Tommy_ had barely disguised his contempt. If he’d ever been glad his friends hadn’t actually, ya know _, died,_ he didn’t show it.

Not even the brief moment of them saving Jason together was enough to dispel the ungracious behavior he’d shown once they’d all returned to the Command Center.

But now, watching him stare at her as she regaled him with her tragic backstory, she hoped it put some things into perspective, and maybe even offer some closure. Either way, she was thankful to have unburdened herself a bit.

Kim gave him a small smile and his face softened.

“When Jason and I got back home, he announced he was going back to Europe for the summer. He tried to get me to stay in California and graduate with the rest of you guys. It was definitely tempting, but by then we only had like, two months left. But I made him a promise that if he helped me move back to Angel Grove before he took off for Switzerland, I’d help him propose to Trini.”

Tommy gave a short chuckle at that. “That sounds like a deal you’d make.”

She flashed him a real smile this time. There was more he wanted to say about the Mark situation, she could tell. More questions he wanted to ask. But she was grateful he’d set them aside for the time being and decided to rejoin her in easier topics.

“I graduated in absentia from Angel Grove, just transferred the credits from Miami High. And true to his word, Jason was on a plane the day after graduation. I didn’t have much with me, but enough that I didn’t want to ship it home and have to wait for it. So we rented a truck, loaded it up, and drove back to California. He let me stay at the townhouse while I looked into applying for college.”

“What happened to helping him with his big romantic proposal?”

She smirked, “That’s where the townhouse comes in.”

Despite Jason’s impetuous notion of jetting off to Europe and sweeping Trini off her feet, money was a bit tight. He’d known for some time how he’d felt about the raven-haired beauty, but he doubted very much she’d be willing to just drop everything she’d built for herself in Switzerland on the promise of love in a two-bedroom rental. So Jason had been saving up, little by little. He’d received a stipend from his ambassadorship. He also finally confessed his plan to his parents, who were more than happy to help.

Kim had no such worries for money, she was thankful to say. Her win at Pan Globals had come with quite a hefty payout. So she offered to pay the rent on the townhouse while she stayed there. Jason refused at first. Taking his friend’s money almost unthinkable. It’d been hard enough to accept his parents’ help. But he eventually caved. He’d need all the financial support he could get. He didn’t know how long he’d have to stay in Switzerland to convince Trini to marry him, and he’d be damned if he would return to the States without her his fiancée.

“Since I had applied late to AGU, I’d have to wait to hear if I’d been accepted. So I was kind of floundering in California for a while before deciding that I hadn’t seen my mother in forever. And if I had to wait on college, I might as well do it in France.”

Tommy nodded sagely. His own life the summer after high school had also been in flux. His team had just passed their powers to a whole new Ranger crew, and he’d felt an inescapable need at the time to do something reckless and completely his own. The pressure from his parents to go to college warred with his newfound love of stock car racing.

And of course, his relationship with Katherine was ending before it had ever really begun. They’d only officially started dating a few months after Kim’s letter.

He supposed the swiftness of dating Kat should have taken the sting out of how quickly Kim appeared to move on. But he felt more justified. He and Kat had known each other for nearly two years. And had clearly liked one another in that time, and they’d waited until the last minute to declare themselves official.

Nevertheless, Kat had been accepted to the Royal Dance Academy in London _._

_And what the hell was he supposed to do in London?_ He tried to get her to stay. But like Kim and the Pan Globals before her, studying at a prestigious dance company was Kat’s dream. And he’d be damned if he’d be responsible for taking that away from someone.

So they parted ways. It was fairly amicable. Not necessarily inevitable but mutual all the same.

Kim smirked, “I ran into Kat in London.”

He snickered. “Your _ran_ into her? What, with your _car_?”

Kim snorted.

He eyed her suspiciously. “I thought you went back to France to visit your _mom._ ”

“I did, for a bit. And then I decided to just skip around. _Maybe do some shopping…”_

He rolled his eyes, “Some things never change…”

She laughed. “Kat and I had a weird but necessary chat.”

He scowled, “About me?”

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. “No, about the _other_ _guy_ we both dated….”

He snickered. “What did she say?”

“Well, I don’t want to tell any tales outside of school but, let’s just say it helped me make peace with our breakup.”

He gave an undignified snort. She shrugged.

“So, before I wore out my welcome, I headed back to France, stayed until my visa ran out, and came back to the States with Zack. I had gotten in to AGU, but not until the following semester. Zack headed to LA, and that’s when Aisha came back from Africa. She was also going to AGU so Jason agreed to let her rent the other bedroom in the townhouse with me while he and Trini stayed in Switzerland.”

“How long were you in France for?”

“Five months total, including that first trip to London.”

“Did you stay with your mom and Pierre the whole time?”

Kim blushed. “Umm, _technically.”_

He shook his head. As if he was an idiot to think Kim would have stayed single for very long. “You met someone.”

She dismissed him with an airy wave. “Saying it like that makes it sound much more significant than it actually was…”

He blinked. “Oh. This wasn’t like, a serious thing?”

There she went, with the lip, and the biting of…

“No. Not really. I mean, it was plenty _real,_ we genuinely liked each other, we just—I think we both knew it was only for as long as I was in Paris.”

He smirked. “Look at you, having a meaningless, torrid affair. I’m actually kind of impressed.”

“I never said it was meaningless,“ she winked, “Just short and sweet.”

He laughed. She shot him an impish grin.

“So, _very, very_ , sweet.”

He tossed his napkin at her. “Okay, okay. My goodwill toward hearing about you with other men only extends so far, so let’s don’t push it.”

She smiled. “You’ve lasted this long in our conversation…”

He gave an exaggerated eye roll and groaned, “Oh God, there’s more?”

She tossed the napkin back at him. “We haven’t talked like this in over a decade, what did you expect?”

He caught the napkin and laughed adoringly, “I already knew some of this stuff, ya know…”

She rolled her eyes, “Well then, either shut up and hear it again or tell me to skip those parts.”

He kept laughing as she groaned and tried to flag down their waitress. Every so often glancing back at him with utter annoyance.

The waitress arrived. Tommy paused his giggling to acknowledge Kim’s question regarding refills on drinks and complimentary chips. _Keep ‘em coming_ was his answer.

The waitress smiled and left them alone once more in their corner booth. Kim briefly considered if someone had known they’d need their own private island when they’d sat them here two hours ago.

_Had it really been that long already? Had it_ only _been that long?_

She stole a glance at Tommy. He’d stopped laughing, but he was still smiling.

“Keep ‘em coming?” She shook her head as she admonished his response to the waitress.

He gave her an innocent look. “Well, at the rate you’ve been going…”

She shot him another dirty look, “Jerk.”

He laughed. “Oh, you love it.”

Her face dropped nearly imperceptibly. He caught it. She fixed him a challenging stare.

He suddenly wondered if he’d overshot the more familiar tone their conversation had taken.

And then it was gone. Kim cleared her throat.

“So, went to college, blah blah blah…graduated from AGU, and then I saw you at Adam and Tanya’s wedding.“

He felt bad for possibly bungling the direction of their reunion with his slightly flirty comment. He tried to backtrack.

“Right. You said you got a… _biology_ degree?” He couldn’t remember. _Damn his memory._

She smirked. “Botany.” Charmed at his lame effort to disguise his infamously bad memory.

He laughed and scratched his head. “Botany! Right. Geez, I’m sorry. I _was_ listening to you that day, I promise.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. No one was more surprised than me. I thought I’d go to school for music or art, maybe even go back to France and pray that Pierre would show a little nepotism and hire me...”

He laughed, internally sighing in relief that their talk had seemed to correct itself.

She shrugged. “I only got interested in it after I’d taken a few core science credits. But once I declared my major I did actually have to take a few biology classes, so your guess wasn’t completely off.”

He shook his head. “Who would have thought we’d both end up getting Science degrees?”

She cackled. “Right?”

He frowned. “Err, well, _sort of_ , right? I guess Paleontology is technically a mix of a bunch of subjects. _You’re_ actually more a real scientist than I am.”

She smirked. “Hardly. You got your _fancy graduate degree_. I’m lucky I finished by Bachelor’s.”

The waitress returned with a full tray of new drinks and a fresh basket of chips, salsa and guacamole.

They thanked her, toasted to their refills and tucked into the salty appetizer.

Kim finished chewing, licked a wayward blob of guacamole off her finger and swallowed as she wiped her hands with her napkin.

“So, in the interest of not _boring_ you, where did we stop at Adam and Tanya’s wedding? Did I already tell you about the landscaping company?”

He let her jab slide. “I think so. You said something about a garden? _Working_ in a garden? Am I close?”

“Ah! Yes, okay. Right,” She laughed, nodding as she found her place again.

“The landscaping job got me noticed by the Angel Grove Botanical Gardens and so I went to work there.”

“Of course. That’s perfect for you.”

She blushed. “Thanks.”

He recalled the Botanical Gardens fondly. He and Kim had gone there on a bunch of dates back in high school. He couldn’t care less about all the rare or exotic species of plants and flowers they boasted. Unless they’d existed in prehistoric times and might somehow have affected an animal prior to their bones being interred a million years later.

But back then, he knew Kim had loved it, and if it had made her happy, he wouldn’t deny her a thing. Plus, the whole property wasn’t just relegated to the Gardens. The estate had also included a greenhouse, a butterfly sanctuary, fountains and play area for kids, a gift shop and a restaurant. It was actually kind of awesome, now that he started to recall it. He wondered if all those attractions still existed. Maybe he could take Miles. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

She bit her lip. “Well, umm, yeah…”

She’d held off this part of the story for as long as she could, she supposed. This whole conversation had even occurred because she’d told him she’d explain why she’d been deliberately avoiding the gang’s summer get-togethers for so long.

If he thought everything else was part of the reason, he was sorely mistaken. _What’s the line? What’s past is prologue?_

“That’s where I met Erik.” she said eyeing him carefully.

His eye twitched almost imperceptibly. Almost.

Kim exhaled slowly to steady her nerves. It wasn’t like she had anything to atone for. She and Tommy had long since moved on. But she wasn’t so naïve to think that their relationship back in high school was just another teenage fling. Despite _only_ being teenagers when they dated, they’d discussed and mused on the possibility of marriage many times in the years together. Such was the intensity of their relationship at one time. But of course, their consequential break up had obviously dashed those fantasies. And in the three relationships since then, only one had Kim allowed herself to contemplate a future with as completely as she had with Tommy.

So what she was about to divulge might hit a bit too close to home.

“I think you had just gotten some internship somewhere?” she asked. “I mean, that’s why you weren’t at Rocky and Aisha’s wedding, right?”

His brow rose in recognition. It also firmly dated the time period in which she spoke of. Rocky and Aisha had gotten married just before he’d gotten his teaching job, which was right before he’d started dating Heather.

She nodded, not entirely bothering to wait for his confirmation. She’d been stalling with her question anyway.

“Yeah, so, Erik is a Conservation Horticulturist. Ya know, someone responsible for protecting and preserv—doesn’t matter.” Kim snickered.

She shook her head, trying to get to the point.

“Anyway, umm, we worked together for a few months before he asked me out, and then we had been dating for about a year or so when Trini asked me to be her maid of honor…”

He watched her carefully. This is was different then when she’d started talking about Mark. True, she was batting even with the amount of intimate details she shared. Careful to only give away enough to have the story make sense. He supposed he should be grateful for that.

She was nervous, as before. But there was something different in the way she stumbled now.

“Anyway, umm, I remember I saw you at the wedding, obviously, and you introduced me to _your very pregnant wife_ …”

Tommy blanched a bit. He hadn’t considered just how awkward that meeting would be. There was a small part of him that had been cruelly excited to show off his spouse about to have his child.

But if he’d been trying to lord anything over Kim, that plan had been summarily squashed when he’d seen her at the rehearsal dinner, very much alone, and still looking way too good. Despite what he wanted it to look like, his life was complete shit.

Heather was miserable while pregnant, Tommy’s proposal to Heather and their subsequent nuptials, only a temporary balm for their problems. They fought constantly, his guilt and her resentment coalescing at every turn.

Heather’s jealously was notorious amongst their friends, who’d by then gotten to know the woman for the past year and a half. The gang had also bore witness to a bevy of arguments between the couple. And of course, there was the whole circumstance surrounding the unplanned pregnancy.

So when he’d introduced Kim to Heather, it had been done so reluctantly. He was nervous, apologetic. _Embarrassed, even._

If Kim had known what he was feeling back then, she mercifully didn’t show it. And Heather had not been particularly gracious upon meeting Kim, forcing them to leave the reception quite early.

Other than the necessary interactions of their duties as Maid of Honor and Best Man, neither Kim nor Tommy talked much after that.

That was the last time he’d seen her in nearly three years.

“You know, I asked Erik not go, cause I thought it might be awkward. But then when I saw you it was _so awkward_ , my brain like, _ouroborosed_ itself and I thought—why didn’t I _insist_ he come with me?”

Tommy shook his head, “I’m so sorry that things got so weird—“

Kim took a long sip on her margarita. _Brain freeze._

She winced as she set the glass back down, her hand flying up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

Tommy took a small sip of his own, fighting the urge to laugh despite the slightly tense turn their conversation had taken once again.

The throbbing subsided and Kim returned to normal. “I called him when I got back home. Told him how it all went. We commiserated. And then...”

She drew in a sharp breath. Tommy inclined his head as he hung on.

“He asked me to marry him.”

His brow rose in surprise. “Really?”

She nodded but did not elaborate. That made him more nervous than he wanted to explore right now.

He coughed. “So—what did you say—?”

“I said yes.”

If he’d been holding his glass right then, it’s surely be shattered.

He squared his jaw and inwardly scolded himself for even deigning to look disappointed.

His gaze landed on her left hand in that moment. He’d be a liar if he’d said he hadn’t already checked. He’d mused on the lack of adornment before. Now, it just confused him.

“So are—are you married now?” He let out an ungraceful sort of half laugh.

“I thought you said—you told Heather you’d nev—” He ran a shaky hand across his brow.

“I’m—I’m sorry but, uh—you—you’re not wearing a ring.”

He tried to laugh to keep his tone neutral. But he feared his bitterness was being broadcast on a jumbotron.

She gave him a sad smile. “I took it off. _Err, well_ —I’m not wearing it anymore.”

He frowned. “Okay…”

“I was really rattled by seeing you at Jase and Trini’s wedding. When Erik proposed I didn’t even hesitate. I was 28 years old, never married, no kids and the maid of honor at _another_ friend’s wedding. And here was this really amazing guy that I was totally falling for, asking me to marry him. I mean—I had to have been a complete idiot to say no. It was everything I’d ever wanted.”

He tried to smile in a show of gracious congratulations. It came off more as a wild-eyed stink face.

“This is why you haven’t been back here for the summers?”

He was surprised he could formulate a reasonable sentence right now. _Talk about rattled…_

“Yes,” she answered simply. “I didn’t want it to be weird. Erik totally understood. And I wasn’t really ready to share him with our friends just yet. I mean, Trini and Aisha know about most of it, and Zack maybe a little, but—the other guys would just pester me.”

He wondered if he was included in that group.

“So what changed? Why now? And why did you come alone?”

She ducked her head. He slumped a bit in his seat. He hadn’t meant to bark out his questions. He’d become accustomed to it again when he started teaching high school.

She slowly returned to look at him. He smiled sheepishly.

“I came this year because I needed to work through some things. I— I told Erik I needed to come up here alone and figure stuff out. I didn’t tell him why at first but—well, he seemed to understand what I was trying to say and he, _we_ —we’re holding off the engagement…we sort of broke up, ceremonially…”

Tommy scowled, “What does that mean?”

She snickered, “It basically means that I’m single until further notice.”

Tommy surprisingly found nothing amusing about this.

“And he was okay with this? He just…let you go?”

Kim shrugged. “He said he’d rather wait for me to be sure he’s who I wanted, then to rush into something I’m not certain of…”

Tommy’s face fell. Tinges of his own failed marriage flashed before his eyes. He suddenly envied Kim and Erik’s relationship, and not for the obvious reasons.

“Wow. That’s—incredibly cool and like, mature of both you.”

Kim smiled at him. “That’s all Erik, really. He’s like that. Incredibly cool and mature. He’s very levelheaded and conscientious… _and observant_.”

Tommy snickered. “Jesus, if you won’t marry him, I will.”

Kim snorted into laughter. Tommy smiled, pleased that it seemed they wouldn’t be walking away from this evening with some weird gulf between them.

All things considered, he’d missed Kim. Tremendously. They’d been friends before they had dated, and even when they’d become a couple, their friendship had only gotten stronger. He supposed being part of a team whose mission it was to save the world contributed to some of that. They had relied on one another for so much more than just affection or sex. Being able to listen, trust and believe in one another was literally a matter of life and death.

He supposed their tenure as teammates while dating also explained the intensity of their relationship. They’d cheated death so many times, a fact that had begun to take its toll on them right around the time he’d lost his Green Ranger Powers for good.

They’d slept together the evening he’d come back as the White Ranger. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say _made love,_ it was just so sappy. Though that’s certainly what it had been. It had absolutely been love. He’d wanted her since the moment they’d first met. Nerves, propriety and perhaps a bit of awe had always kept him fairly modest in the beginning. But Kim was good at assuaging his fears and doubts. A couple chaste kisses here and there, lots of hand holding, subtle touches and hugs that lingered on longer every time.

When he’d first come back after break their freshmen year, after having lost his powers to Rita’s green candle, he was crestfallen. Yes, about his powers, but more that Kimberly’s interest in him might have waned now that he was no longer a part of the team. As if that’s why she liked him. He needn’t have worried so much. There was little time in the immediate crisis that had occurred during Parent’s Day, and even less time afterward. But when she’d introduced him to her parents, he’d felt a surge of confidence. And when she’d introduced him as _her boyfriend?_ Well, that settled it.

His previous aversion to gross public displays of affections started to ebb, his former shyness gave way to bolder moves. The kisses were no longer so chaste. The kisses, in fact, never stayed just kisses anymore. Curious hands and lips became desperate to know more. Making out with Kim after a stressful battle had almost made his weakening powers worth it. She’d wanted to protect him as much as love him, and he cherished her for that. Never in his life did he imagine he’d be so lucky as to find someone beyond his family for whom he’d literally risked his own life to protect. Of course, he’d risk his life for all of his friends and teammates.

But he wasn’t in love with all of them.

So when he’d nearly died in a last ditch effort to save his Green Ranger powers, and when he’d failed…it was all just too much. He’d taken off to his Uncle’s Cabin without a word. They’d just started their sophomore year, and he knew when he returned to school he’d catch an earful from everybody for turning tail.

In an ironic bit of foreshadowing, he’d written Kim a letter to tell her how sorry he was for running away. He’d been scared. Less about their relationship this time, but that still played a part. He told her loved her, and that he hoped she understood why he left.

He’d only spent a month at the Cabin before coming to his senses. He’d let Kim know he was coming back. She’d been ecstatic. That made him hopeful. But then he’d been teleported into the secret Power Chamber by Zordon and Alpha, who had offered him a very risky proposition. He could very easily die right there on the table as they tried to imbue him with new powers. He didn’t care. He agreed to do it.

He might not have been so flip if he had known what a Power transfusion actually entailed. He woke up in complete darkness. He thought he might have actually died. It was then he realized he was inside something. Or rather, his head was. He’d nearly cried as he reached up to the sides of his head and unclasped his helmet. It had worked.

Tommy could still remember his friends’ faces upon seeing him as the White Ranger. It felt good. What felt even better however, was of course, seeing Kim.

She’d fainted, as she was wont to do. A small part of him sort of relished that he had that effect on her. He’d roused her from the floor of the command center, and it had taken all his strength to not ravage her right there, so happy he was to have her back in his arms.

The two of them had driven back up to his Uncle’s cabin that night, after the whole gang had gotten their celebrations in. He relived the whole process over again as he indulged Kim’s fervent questions.

His life had been threatened with the green candle. He’d narrowly escaped Goldar and Zedd before they drained him of his powers. And today he could have died trying to gain new ones. And that wasn’t even the half of it. They were barely 16, all of them.

A desperate hug turned into a desperate kiss. Which in turn became exploring each other in all the ways they’d always wanted to, lest they died before they’d had the chance to fully express how much they meant to one another.

Either the threat was very real, or they were using it as an excuse to justify their lust. After that day, it barely mattered. He almost dared Zedd or Rita to try anything now. He felt nigh unstoppable.

Her voice brought him back to the present. “What are you thinking about?”

Tommy looked up to see Kim smiling at him. The Kim of now. The Kim who apparently had lived five more lifetimes since she’d left him. Though he supposed that part applied to most of them at this point. This Kim, was a celebrated and medal awarded gymnast, who’d escaped a toxic relationship, who’d spent a well-deserved holiday in Paris, who’d found her passion in college and gotten her degree, all the while still keeping a close knit circle of friends. This Kim, had nearly gotten engaged, or did in fact. He was still a bit unclear on that.

This Kim, looked very much like the other, younger version. Except now she had stories. Stories she could share. Stories that didn’t involve a giant Pineapple monster. And he found himself even more intrigued by her than he’d ever been.

He smiled back at her.

“I’m just really glad you decided to come back.”

Kim bit her lip. “Me too.”

\---x---


	3. If You Say So

_Water World Family Fun Park  
_ _Wednesday, June 20 th, 12:05pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Three was a magic number. Tommy had donned three different Ranger colors. Miles was three years old. Tommy and Kim had dated for three years, and they’d seen each other three times since they’d broken up. Trini and Jason had been married for three years.

And now it had been three weeks. Three weeks since Kim had arrived on Tommy’s doorstep. Three weeks since she’d come back into his life.

He’d told himself for years that whatever he still felt for Kim was just the result of not having seen her in all that time. She’d become almost mythical, in a way. _Absence makes the heart grow fonder, blah blah blah._

Something was happening. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but he knew it wasn’t entirely unwelcomed. But it also made everything complicated.

Kim relinquished her hand from Tanya’s stomach. “How has it been?”

Tanya ran her own hands over the huge bump and shrugged, “Sometimes great. Right now, not so much.”

“Do you get sick a lot? Or is it just, general aches and pains?”

Tanya groaned, “No. My morning sickness wasn’t that bad. It’s just been these last few months. I can’t get comfortable. I’m moody. I feel like a damn penguin, waddling around. I’m over it. Today’s the first day I’ve felt somewhat normal.”

“Well, you look amazing.” Kim beamed. “Your skin is glowing.”

“That’s just sweat.” They laughed. Tanya sighed and finally conceded.

“Thank you. I don’t _feel_ amazing, but thank you.”

“Have you guys picked out names and all of that?”

Tanya nodded. “We have a bunch. It’s mostly just getting our families off our back. Everybody wants to be immortalized.”

Kim laughed. “Totally get it. My grandmother’s name was Ann, but my mom had already decided her baby girl was going to be named Kimberly, so they made it my middle name instead.“

The girls sat back in the lounge chairs, idly watching their friends as they played in the water with the kids. Jason and Adam trying to coax Vanessa to into the shallow kiddie pool.

Kim turned back to Tanya. “You guys usually come in for the summer reunions, yeah?”

Tanya nodded, “When we can. We’d like to stay longer of course but that’s just not possible right now, obviously. Better to be stay close to home, my OB and all that.”

“And you guys are back in Stone Canyon, right?”

“We’re close to Adam’s parents’ place. Not _too close_ , thankfully. “

They shared a knowing laugh. Adam turned and waved back at them. He and Tanya shared a brief exchange. Their intimate shorthand of wordless gestures and signals.

Kim smiled as Tanya laughed, finally getting her husband to turn away.

“I swear, he thinks I’m made of glass.”

“His whole world is one body right now. You and this one,” Kim said, placing her hand back on Tanya’s swollen belly.

“So, how about you? Kids? You seeing anyone?” Tanya wondered.

Kim gave an indelicate snort. “Oh, that’s a long story. Short version is no.”

Tanya snickered, “I know we’ve never been as close as the rest, but, Adam always spoke well of you. And it’s been nice to get to know you better. You’ve been missed at these things.”

Kim smirked. “Well, remind me to thank him for not dragging my name too much. I know your first experience of me was probably not the greatest.”

Tanya shrugged. “Oh I only knew what I knew, ya know? I had no reason to dislike you. I just knew Tommy seemed upset about the break up at the time. But I don’t think anyone hated you.”

Kim nodded. “Yeah….”

“So you still seeing that guy from Florida?”

Kim cackled. “Oh, no. That’s—no. That’s a whole _other_ story.”

They looked up as they heard excitable shrieks coming from the play area. Rocky splashing with the toddlers by the big mushroom shaped water shower. His laughter and hijinks almost louder than the children’s.

Tanya groaned. “Oh god, I just know Adam’s gonna make that man our child’s godfather and then we’re _never_ gonna hear the end of the jokes.”

Kim laughed hysterically, her best impersonation of Rocky’s best Don Corleone on her lips. _“_ _You come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married and you ask me to do murder…”_

Tanya’s shoulders bounced in laughter. “Ugh. Talk about _give me justice.”_

Kim snorted. “I can’t wait for Rocky and Aisha to have kids. And then we all get to watch him have to be a grown up finally.”

Tanya snickered. “Don’t bet on it.”

“Well, let me say an early congratulations to you again. I’m glad you and Adam were able to make it down for a little bit.”

“Well thank you. Yeah, we figured this might be our last viable reunion for a little while so...”

Miles sat perched atop Tommy’s shoulders, the man crouched into a raptor stance as the boy traded between roaring and laughter. Tommy spun quickly on a heel, as if the fearsome dinosaur had heard something.

He locked eyes with Kim and gave her a smile, briefly dropping character. She smiled back as Miles held up his hands and pointed.

She heard him yell her name, Tommy dropping back into predator mode and jogged toward her, Miles bouncing against his back.

“RAWR!” Tommy snarled.

“Rawr!” Miles snarled too.

Tanya snickered they approached. Kim held face in her hands, attempting to look scared. “Oh no!”

“Raptor gets Kimbree!” Miles growled. Tommy stalked closer.

“Raptor gets Kimbree!” Tommy echoed.

Miles wrapped his hands around Tommy’s face, covering his eyes and mouth.

“Raptor…umm, can’t talk. Only I’m raptor can talk.”

Tommy grumbled in a sheepish raptor voice. “Sorry.”

Miles resumed. “Raptor go! Get Kimbree.”

Tommy nudged Kim with his head, allowing Miles to reach for her.

“Agh! Oh no! Raptor’s got me!” Kim swooned. She inclined her head to allow the boy to place his claws against her face. She flinched beneath his graceless hands as he poked and prodded her.

Tommy groaned in a pain, his back and knees screaming from having been bent over for so long.

He lowered himself, sliding Miles off his back.

“Raptor needs a break,” he grunted, collapsing up against the deck chair.

Miles looked about to protest before Kim held out her arms and brought the boy to sit in her lap. “Come here. I got you.”

The boy sat facing out as Kim wrapped her hands around his waist. He squirmed, bracing himself as he tried to stand up.

Tanya handed Tommy a bottle of water. “You look like you’re about to keel over.”

Tommy nodded his thanks and doused himself before chugging the rest.

Kim snickered. “How are you overheating? You just came out of the water.”

“You play raptor next time,” Tommy panted. “See how you like it.”

Kim steadied the boy as he planted his feet atop her thighs.

“I have got to go bathroom,” Miles announced.

Tommy squinted, nodding tiredly as he motioned for Kim to hand the boy over.

Kim placed a pitying hand to his shoulder. “You just rest, ya invalid. I’ll go find one of the other guys.”

Tommy laughed gratefully as Kim stood up with Miles.

“Come on, honey. Let’s go find your uncles and get you a bathroom ok?”

“Ok…” Miles said.

Tommy smiled at the boy. “Go on, buddy. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

“Ok…” the boy said again. Kim waited for him to grab her hand before the two went off in search of the other guys.

Tommy’s stretched his arms out across the seat of the chair. He lolled his head back and sighed.

Tanya snickered. “Is this what I have to look forward to? You look exhausted.”

Tommy shot her a smile. “Have fun.”

Tanya shook her head _. “Have children,_ they said. _It’ll be fun_ , they said.”

Tommy sat up and cracked his back, “Between the two of you? One baby? Pfft. Piece of cake.”

Tanya’s eyes travelled to where Kim had left with Miles. “Looks like you’ve got help.”

Tommy glanced over his shoulder, ”Yeah, those two became fast friends.”

“I can see that,” Tanya said. “That must be nice.”

Tommy nodded, mindlessly looking out onto the rest of the water park. “Yeah, it has been.”

“Now I see why you were so anxious to pawn us off on Jason and Trini.”

He shot her a look. “What?”

Tanya smirked, “You two look like no time has passed.”

He snickered. “How would you know?”

Tanya laughed. “Oh please. I didn’t have to know Kim personally to guess what you two were like. And right now you two look more together than Adam and I do.”

Tommy shook his head. “She ended up staying with me at the last minute. And her—she and Miles just hit it off. I’m just grateful and I’m not trying to read into it.”

Tanya quirked an eyebrow. “If you say so.”

\---x---

_Scott Residence  
_ _Wednesday, June 20 th, 3:03pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Jason and Tommy looked up as Trini came down the stairs. “Tanya’s resting. She said not to worry about waking her when the pizza gets here.”

“All that sun she got today probably knocked her right out,” Jason said.

Tommy shrugged. “Adam said she was doing better today than she has in a while.”

“Well, I say let her sleep,” Jason said, smiling down at the toddler in his arms. “At least someone gets to.”

“Where’s Kim?” Trini wondered.

“She’s checking in with Zack about the club,” Tommy motioned to the back porch. “Just waiting ‘til she’s done, then we’ll probably take off.”

Trini frowned. “You’re not staying for pizza?”

Tommy shook his head. “Already told my mom I’d make dinner for her.”

The phone rang in the kitchen. Trini excused herself, dodging the two little boys running around the room.

Jason adjusted Vanessa on his hip. “Are you sure you don’t want to just bring Miles over here while were in LA? Don’t want Patty to think you’re taking advantage of her.”

Tommy chuckled. “I’m sure. Tanya and Adam are gonna have their hands full with the twins as it is.”

They looked over at the two boys. Miles had collapsed abruptly to the floor, knocking over an earlier constructed pile of blocks. While Howie waddled furiously around him in circles, looking very much like a lost duck, his diapered bottom sticking out beneath his t-shirt.

They shared a laugh as Jason looked back at him. “Bah, it’s good practice for ‘em, right?”

Tommy snickered. “My mom’s already said she’d do it. Dinner tonight is basically my thank you. Believe me, if she felt like I was abusing her goodwill, she’d let me know.”

Jason laughed. “Yes she would.”

Kim emerged from the patio, sliding the door securely shut behind her.

“Okay, just got off the phone with Zack, we are meeting at a place called NEON at Ten. He said he’d text me the address on Friday when we’re on our way.”

Jason nodded. “We got a dress code for this thing?”

Kim rolled her eyes, “Umm, it’s a dance club, Jase. I don’t know. Dance club clothes?”

He shot her a simpering look. “I’m a suburbanite now Kimmie. I don’t know what that means anymore.”

Kim rolled her eyes, “Just have Trini pick out your outfit. Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself. “ She patted him on the head.

He stuck his tongue out and looked to Tommy. “Bro, what’re you wearing?”

Tommy shrugged. “I don’t know. Dress shirt and jeans, I guess?” He looked to Kim, gauging her response. “That’s okay, right?”

Jason smirked at the pair in front of him.

Kim studied Tommy as if imagining the suggested outfit. “Yeah, like what you wore to dinner the other night? That’s totally fine.”

“Yeah,” Tommy said, sharing a pleased smile with Kim before they both looked back at Jason.

Jason rolled his eyes as Trini popped her head from the kitchen.

“Babe, can I get your help real fast?”

Jason looked back to her, briefly unsure what to do with his daughter. Kim reached for the little girl eagerly as Jason gratefully handed her off.

Vanessa dragged her finger in her mouth, looking around for the man who’d just held her as Kim cooed at her.

“Hi, oh my goodness. Look at you,” Kim bounced the girl in her arms.

Vanessa gurgled and squeaked out a sharp squeal, reaching out to touch Kim’s face curiously with a slimy finger.

Jason looked at his wife expectantly as he entered the kitchen. She glanced over at him, the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder as she grunted out a response to the caller.

She mimed carrying something and pointed to the table. Jason followed her hand and nodded.

_“Well, no of course you’re more than welcome. But please don’t feel like you’re obligated in anyway,”_ Trini spoke into the phone.

Jason opened the new package of paper plates and napkins Trini had pulled out, as well as some plastic flatware.

Trini laughed. _“I’m impressed you even remembered all that.”_

Jason held the stack of items and waved to get her attention.

_“Well, I can’t wait. I’m glad you changed your mind.”_ She smiled.

“Where do you want these?” Jason whispered.

Trini looked up, covering the receiver with her hand. “In the den,” she whispered back.

Jason nodded and headed back out. She uncovered the phone and laughed once more. _“Okay. Sure. We’ll see you then. Okay. Bye.”_

Trini hung up the phone, detangled herself from the cord and headed back into the den. Jason glanced over his shoulder as he set the stack on the coffee table.

“You’re all smiley. Who was that?”

Trini spared a quick glance toward the front door where Kim and Tommy were still entertaining Vanessa. She turned back to her husband.

“Do you remember that guy from Marketing? Rob Stetson?”

Jason frowned. “Is he the sweaty pits guy?” He couldn’t remember.

Trini snorted, “Good god, no. He’s the cute one, remember? About our age, blue eyes, dark hair, tall? The one I said reminds me of what’s his face.”

Jason laughed. “Babe, that doesn’t give me much …”

Trini groaned, trying to place the actor’s name. “Well, anyway. He’s the one I was gonna try and set up with Kim a few years ago. Remember? Before she started dating Erik and all that?”

Jason gave her an uneasy look. “So what? You’re gonna try and set them up again?”

Trini blustered. “Well, I had invited him to the cocktail party late last year, before Kim RSVP’d for the summer. Just to, ya know, be friendly or whatever. Well, he said no at first. But then before the office closed for break, he asked if Kim was coming, and by then she _had_ RSVP’d, so he said he’d think about it. Well, that was over a month ago. I hadn’t heard from him since and so I just assumed he wasn’t coming.”

The sound of their friends returning home broke her of her thoughts as she and Jason looked up.

“We come bearing pizza!” Aisha announced, holding onto a liter of soda in each hand as Rocky and Adam followed her holding three boxes of pizza and bags of salad and breadsticks, respectively.

Tommy and Kim moved to follow their friends as everyone migrated toward the den, Kim still bouncing Vanessa in her arms.

Jason looked back at Trini. “So, what? This Rob guy is coming to the party now?”

Trini nodded. “Is that bad? I mean, I wanted him and Kim to meet but that was three years ago. She’ll kill me if she thinks I’m trying to set her up now.”

Jason feigned innocence. “I don’t see why.”

Trini shot him a withering look. “Really?”

Jason stared back her incredulously. “Hey, everyone’s always telling me to shut up and stay out of it. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

“Babe, you know as well I do—Hey! Yay! Pizza!”

  
Trini helped her friends set down the food at the table. She shot Jason a look as Kim and Tommy dawdled in last together, baby Vanessa in between them.

Kim pouted as she returned the little girl to her father. “Bye honey.”

Tommy made his way over to the table. Howie and Miles studied the adults removing the food with great interest.

Kim clutched her chest as she and Jason moved back into the room. “Oof, my heart. Jason, don’t let me alone with your daughter anymore. I might steal her.”

Jason laughed. “Some days, I might let you.”

Kim smacked his arm. “Stop. She is a perfect angel baby.”

Jason rolled his eyes and looked back at his daughter. “Nessa, you want pizza?”

Vanessa stared back him before looking around and down at the table. She let out a single shrilled note, pointing down.

Kim reveled as Jason set the girl down, watching her shaky steps as she toddled to the food.

Trini helped Howie on the couch. Adam and Aisha sat across the table on the floor. Dishing out the drinks, salad and breadsticks. Rocky sat on the floor in front of Tommy, examining which boxes contained which toppings.

“Alright, who can only have plain cheese?”

Tommy sat all the way back in the overstuffed chair. Miles sat in his lap, gumming at a breadstick.

Jason turned and balked, “I thought you said you weren’t staying for food?”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “We’re not. This one snuck a breadstick in his mouth before I could stop him.”

Kim laughed as she sat on the arm of the chair. “How did you get that?”

Miles laughed, the breadstick dropping into his lap. He stared down at it for a second before picking it back up and offering it to Kim.

Jason shook his head before bending down to help Vanessa.

“So, who knows where we’re going on Friday?” Aisha said, doling out a plate of food for Trini.

“Oh, I do,” Kim said, holding up her cell phone.

  
“That’s good,” Trini whispered to Aisha. The other woman nodded and handed off the plate.

“It’s called NEON,” Kim said. “Zack’s all plugged into the place, apparently. He said it’s super trendy and has tons of amenities.”

Adam smirked. “Wouldn’t really expect anything different, knowing Zack.”

Rocky passed off some food to Jason. “Yeah, guaranteed it’s going to be super heavy dancing, right?”

Tommy groaned. Kim glanced over her shoulder. “You’re not excited?”

“A super trendy heavy dance club? Oh gosh, so excited.”

Kim poked him, “Come on, Tommy, it’ll be fun.”

Jason chuckled. “Bro, we can always escape to the bar if things get crazy.”

“Oh no,” Trini countered. “No way are we driving three hours to LA just so you two can sit at the bar and drink.”

“I hate clubs like this,” Tommy frowned. “What happened to just hanging out with friends and talking?”

Kim and Trini shot each other a look, harrumphing in unison. _“Back in my day…”_

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Well, I for one plan on dancing all night long,” Aisha said. She shot a playful warning. “You better be ready.”

Rocky smirked at her. “Oh, I’m always ready.”

Tommy shoved Rocky with his foot. “Yeah, sometimes _too_ ready.”

Rocky scowled as he lurched forward. “Well excuse me for thinking my wife’s hot.”

“We all know you do, Rocko,” Jason said. The group laughed. Aisha blushed.

Rocky looked back at Tommy, “Just cause you’re hard up—“

Tommy kicked him again. The half eaten breadstick tumbled out of Miles’ hand and onto Rocky’s plate of food.

Miles started laughing, sending the rest of the room laughing as well.

Rocky grimaced at the limp and chewed up log. “Aww, man….”

Tommy smirked. “Serves you right.”

“Matt Bomer!” Trini shouted. The group looked back at her.

Jason snickered.

“The actor?” Kim asked.

“What about him?” Adam said.

Jason scratched his chin to keep from laughing. Trini floundered.

“Sorry. I was just trying to remember his name. I got it now.”

Tommy shook off the seeming non sequitur and made to stand.

“And _on that note,_ we should head out.”

He helped usher Miles off his lap as Kimberly rose from her perch on the arm.

Jason nodded and stood up as well. Rocky squirmed as he tried to avoid touching the devastated breadstick without disrupting the rest of his meal.

Aisha rolled her eyes and snatched it off his plate. She buried it inside a napkin.

Jason gave Kim a hug. “We’ll see you guys on Friday? We should leave by seven, no later.”

“What time are Billy and Kat getting in?” Kim asked.

“They’re meeting us down there and then coming back after with Zack.”

Tommy nodded, exchanging a high five with Jason as everyone else waved goodbye.

“Alright bro, have a good dinner. Tell Patty I said hey.”

\---x---

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Wednesday, June 20 th, 6:13pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

“Well this is certainly a nice change of pace,” Patty chuckled as she watched her son at the stove.

He scoffed. “What are you talking about? I cook all the time.”

“But not for me. The last time you tried this hard was when you crashed your dad’s truck in that ditch.”

Kim snickered as she laid out the table settings.

“You were there for that, weren’t you Kim?” Patty asked. “You weren’t in the car too were you?”

Kim shook her head. “Oh no, ma’am. But I heard about it. Believe me, you wouldn’t have had to ground him if I had gotten to him first. He got an earful as it was.”

Tommy rolled his eyes and popped the lid on the pot to check the cornhusks he’d left steaming.

Patty laughed. “Oh yes, I seem to recall his punishment might have interfered with your social lives back then.”

Tommy groaned. “It was one thing to take away my driving privileges. It was a whole other thing to not let me see my girlfriend.”

Patty snickered. “You were grounded, you nit. What did you think we were gonna do?”

Kim came up beside him, fetching the silverware from the drawer next to the stove. Tommy sighed spared her a frown, recalling his reaction at the time.

Patty smiled at them from her seat. “I’m sorry we had to separate you two for that week.”

Kim glanced over her shoulder, “Oh, it was fine, we lived.” She shot a wink back to Tommy.

Tommy returned her look with a smirk of his own. _They’d made up for it plenty after that week. But his mother didn’t need to hear about that._

Patty kept her face serene as Kim returned to the table with the flatware.

“So how was the water park?” Patty asked.

“Fun,” Tommy answered. “Miles was a champ.”

“Will I be getting to see my grandson this evening?”

Kim smiled at her. “I can get him before we start eating.”

Patty waved her off. “Oh, I’ll do it. Let’s me feel useful. I hate just sitting around.” She turned to address her son, “I mean, thank you for cooking sweetheart, but I’m also itching to make sure you’re not going to poison us.”

He halted his stirring and shot her scowl. “They’re tamales, ma. I couldn’t poison you if I wanted to.”

Patty shrugged. “Well just remember to cook the pork so it gets tender.”

She pointed to her mouth. “I paid good money for these teeth and I can’t afford to have bits of food stuck in them.”

Tommy gagged. “Mom, seriously?”

She laughed. “So who all went with you guys today?”

“Adam and Tanya got in this morning, so we took the kids with Jason and Rocky,” Kim said.

“Oh that’s nice. How are Jason and the twins?”

“Good,” Tommy said. “Jase says hi by the way.”

“Well, tell him I said hi back,” Patty nodded. “So where did the other ladies go?”

“Aisha and Trini stayed home,” Kim said.

Patty chuckled. “Oh, and you decided to go with all of these jokers instead?”

Kim shrugged, a content smile plastered to her face.

Patty nodded. “So, you said Tanya’s pregnant, yes?“

“Yep.” Tommy answered.

Kim cut in. “She’s nearly due. Like any day now.”

Patty brow rose in a wistful sort of acknowledgment. “Oh, well, that must be very exciting. I imagine.”

Kim felt a pang as the woman spoke. She’d hardly let on, but Kim could see it in her posture. Patty was a little sad. At nearly 60, Patty would not be having her own children anymore. Nor had she ever. But maybe that didn’t matter. She’d raised Tommy since he was a baby, and he was in nearly every way her son. Kim pondered the thought for the briefest moment.

She’d grown up watching Tommy and his mom. And to see them now, Kim couldn’t imagine a more enviable relationship. She didn’t even feel that close to her own mother.

“Ma, would you sit back down?” Tommy groused.

At some point in Kim’s musings, Patty had risen to invade her son’s space by the stove. A tall woman herself, she barely had to struggle to peek over his shoulder.

“I just want to see how it’s going over here,” She gently insisted, “I can’t see a thing from where I was sitting.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Yes, that was on purpose. I’m the one cooking. You don’t need to see what’s happening.”

She pointed to a particular bundle he’d already completed. “You should wrap that one tighter before it hits the water, the filling’s gonna fall right out.”

He spun on her, trying in vain to not snap. “Mom, go sit back down. Please. You’re making me nervous.”

Kim bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Patty shot her a wink, pulling a face that indicated her amusement at her son’s defensiveness. Holding up her hands in surrender, she backed off and slinked back to her chair at the table.

Kim loved watching Tommy fret over this stuff. He tried so hard, so earnestly to impress his mother. All the time, even making tamales.

Kim reached into the fridge to retrieve their drinks.

“So, how’s Mr. Oliver? Tommy mentioned he’d been having some health issues the last few years.”

Patty sighed. “Ah yes. James is okay, thank you for asking. Yeah, he’s due for Back surgery here in about a week. And before that he went in cause we thought he’d broken his hip. And then twice before that is was plantar fasciitis—or well, that’s what _he_ thought it was. I tried to tell him he was full of shit, cause if anyone knows what plantar fasciitis feels like, it’d be me. Turns out it was just a sprain and it had disrupted the nerves in his foot. But we think that may have exacerbated whatever was going on in his hip, so—did you know, they call it Policeman’s heel, right? I mean not that a _Writer_ couldn’t get it, I suppose. But he’s hardly on his feet for very long nowadays, so I knew it wasn’t that. And I was right! But don’t tell that to the doctor! They don’t like to hear that you might know more than they do—“

“Ma. Kim doesn’t need to hear all of this.”

Patty caught herself. “Yes. No. You’re right . Sorry,” she sighed. “Yeah, he’s just getting to that age, ya know? Everything’s gotta be removed or replaced. I mean, aren’t we all? We’re all gonna be cyborgs over here by the time we’re done.”

Kim laughed, popping open a beer and handing one off to Patty. The older woman nodded her thanks and took a small sip.

“Well, that’s enough about that. Kimberly, how are you, my dear? What have you been up to in the last— what was it? How long has it been?”

Kim took a sip of her own drink. “Since I last saw _you_? Umm, like, 12-ish years, I think.”

“Wow. That’s a whole other lifetime, isn’t it? Goodness.”

“So, I don’t know what all Tommy’s told you but uh, I moved back to Angel Grove about eight, nine years ago.”

“Oh that’s right. Where we you? In Georgia? No, Florida!”

“Yeah. I left in the late fall of Junior Year.”

Patty nodded. “That’s right. Now I remember. Yes, cause you came back that same year for Christmas!”

“Yep.” Kim gave a small giggle.

“Yes, how did I forget that?” Patty snickered, thumbing in Tommy’s direction. “This one nearly broke the front door leaving the house to pick you up from the airport. We were lucky he didn’t crash the truck all over again.”

Tommy shot his mom a dirty look, but it was half-hearted. She wasn’t exaggerating. He had been so damn happy when Kim had flown home for Christmas that year. She’d only been gone a month and he was already losing his mind.

Patty smiled at Kim. “I should stop embarrassing him. I’m ruining his cool guy persona by reminding us all what a silly idiot he was with you.”

Tommy shot her a playful glare, “No one in this room doesn’t already know how I was back then, ma. You can’t embarrass me. So go ahead. Keep talking.”

“No, no. You made your point,” she resigned, sparing Kim a smile. “Besides, I’m sure if anybody knew it best, it was you, am I right dear?”

Kim felt her face flush. “Yes. Your son always made sure I knew how much I was appreciated. He was the perfect boyfriend. I was very lucky.”

Patty saw the slight shift in her son’s posture as he kept himself occupied by the stove. Their reminiscing had touched a nerve.

She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m gonna step outside for some air and call your father.”

She made to stand, grabbing her purse. “Be right back. And then I would like to see my grandson.”

“We got another half hour on these tamales, ma.”

Patty called out behind her. “That’s fine. It’ll take me that long just to get your damn father off the phone.”

Tommy watched her as she disappeared behind the door. He glanced back over at Kim and gave her sheepish grin.

“I’m sorry about my mom. She—she still likes to talk a lot.”

“It’s okay. I kinda like it.” She opened another beer and handing it to him.

He snickered and took a sip of his beer. He turned back to the stove, adjusting and shutting the knobs accordingly.

Kim slid up beside him. “It’s worth it to watch you get embarrassed.”

He snorted. “Well Patty is a professional embarrasser.”

“You’re kinda cute when you get like that.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Think I’m cute, huh?”

She shrugged. “I mean, you’re ok I guess.”

He turned to face her directly, folding his arms across his chest. “Just ok? I thought you said I was _the perfect boyfriend.”_

“That was _then._ Who knows what you’re like now?”

He laughed ruefully. “Well, I can think of at least one person who thinks there’s room for improvement…”

She laid a hand on his arm and smiled brightly. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner with you and your mom. I hope I’m not intruding. I could have stayed and had pizza with everyone else.”

He smiled back at her, grateful for her abrupt change in topic. “Well, thank you for accepting the invite. And you’re hardly intruding. My mom adores you. She always has. “

“Yeah…” Kim ducked her head with a bashful grin.

“And I needed someone to help me take care of Miles on the way home from the pool, anyway,” He smirked. She gave him a playful smack.

Tanya’s earlier comments echoed in his head. Kim’s hand on his arm snapped him back.

“Are you ok?” She asked earnestly. “I was giving you a bad time earlier, but I’m actually a little worried. You looked really worn out.”

He frowned. “Yeah of course, I’m fine. Miles is just demanding. But that’s a three year old for ya, right?”

She eyed him carefully. “Okay….”

He sighed. “Kim, I’m fine.”

“It’s just—you’re like, one of the healthiest people I know. You’re in the best shape you’ve ever been—“

A smart comment about her attention to his physique was on his lips, but it was cut short as she went on.

“I just get nervous, you complaining about your back and knees. And to hear your mom talk about your dad and all his health things—“

He scowled. “Well it’s not like those problems are genetic—and I’m fine. Like you said, I was just worn out. Look, it’s just a lot of work doing this on my own—and yeah, I have my mom to help, and thank goodness. I don’t know what I’d do without her—“

“Well, I’m here to help too—“

“And you’ve been awesome, seriously. But after you leave it’ll be back to the same. And my mom can’t take him all the time, and with my school schedule, I know he’ll be back with Heather more. And maybe I overdo it when I’m with him cause our time always gets split. So I just—I want him to enjoy his time with me, ya know?”

Kim frowned. “He’s not gonna forget about you, Tommy. You’re his father.”

He sighed. “I know, I just—I don’t know what Heather says about me when he’s with her. And now she’s seeing someone—and what if they get married? He’s gonna have this other guy in his life, ya know? He’s gonna have—“

“Is that what you’re worried about? Some new guy replacing you?”

He clenched his jaw. _It certainly felt like a running theme in his life_. He looked down at Kim. She seemed to intuit his thoughts.

She smiled up at him and brought a hand up to cup his cheek.

“No one will ever replace you.”

He leaned into it for a moment. The telltale sounds of Miles stirring from his bedroom broke the tension. Kim let her hand fall.

“I’m gonna let Patty know Miles is up.”

He nodded. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

She spared him a final smile before heading out the door.

\---x---


	4. To Catch A Thief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the songs referenced.   
> First song, To Catch a Thief by Lovage (as the artist is not referenced in story). All other music is clearly recognizable.

_Reefside Emporium  
_ _Friday, June 22 nd, 1:44pm  
_ _Reefside,CA  
_ _2010_

Kim held up a flouncy red dress. Trini shook her head and moved to the next rack.

Kim groaned. “Ugh. Why didn’t you tell me you guys went shopping the other day? I totally would have gone with you instead.”

Aisha waved her off. “It’s totally ok, girl. Think of it as, retail recon. Now we know exactly what we’re looking for.”

Trini glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah and thanks to you, I have to get something for Jason. He’s such a little shit.”

Kim laughed as Aisha shrugged. “I think it’s kinda sweet. Him trying to look all sexy and hip.”

“How about Tommy?” Trini wondered, “He ask you to pick up anything?”

Kim’s eyes twitched. Aisha and Trini now both looked at her expectantly.

Kim chuckled nervously. “Oh well—that’s not really—I mean, that’s more a job for a _girlfriend_ , isn’t it?”

Aisha and Trini shot each other a confused look.

Kim shrugged. “Besides, I think he already has everything he needs…”

Aisha quirked an eyebrow. “You talking clothes-wise or a girlfriend?”

Kim eyed her carefully. “From what I can tell, Tommy seems to be able to dress himself just fine.”

Trini broke the tension. “Well, _not Jason_ , apparently.”

Kim sighed, grateful for her friend’s sudden diffusion. She turned the tables on Aisha.

“How bout Rocky? He need help?”

Aisha shook her head. “No. Not really. I know he doesn’t look it, but he’s kind of a secret clothes-horse. You should see some of the suits that boy has in his closet. I tell you what. I think he likes ‘em cause he never had anything that nice growing up, ya know? Big family, lots brothers and sisters, lots of hand me downs. I think he likes having something new and flashy.”

Kim smirked. “I think you’ve just talked yourself right back into buying him something.”

Aisha snickered. “Did I?”

Trini gasped. “Oh, Kim. Please buy this.” Kim and Aisha followed the sound around the corner.

“What, what is it?” Kim wondered.

Aisha whistled. Kim’s eyes went wide as she saw the bandaged dress in Trini’s hands.

“Ooh, that is very short,” Kim cringed.

Trini scowled. “You’re very short.” Trini held it up to her. “Look, it’ll be the perfect length on you.”

Kim scoffed. “How did you just manage to insult _and_ compliment me in the same breath?”

Trini snickered. “I’m a genius that’s how.” She handed the dress off to Kim.

“I’ve not worn something this tight in ages.”

Trini tugged on the fabric. “It’s stretchy, see?”

“I was hoping not to have to carry a purse. Where do I put my stuff?”

“Tuck it in your bra,” Trini suggested.

Kim snorted, “Pfft. Guess I’ll have to, huh?”

Trini folded her arms for a moment, tapping her lip with a slender finger. “I think we should check out shoes too.”

“What are you guys wearing? What did you find?” Kim asked.

Aisha dragged her over to the outfit she’d discovered the other day. Kim’s brow rose in recognition as Aisha proudly displayed a short, gold sequin shift with spaghetti straps.

“Oh, okay. I’m sensing a theme here,” Kim nodded. “Tri, what about you?”

Trini shrugged. “Oh you know me. I’m wearing pants. But I found a few tops I thought might work, “she hiked up her bosom. “Show off the girls for a change?”

They all laughed as Aisha pulled down her selection. Kim continued to browse, still holding onto the short black dress.

“Any guesses on what Kat might show up in?” Kim asked.

“Something to show off those legs, for sure,” Aisha said.

Kim scowled playfully. “Hmm. True. Ugh. The bitch.”

They laughed again. Kim’s eyes widened as she stopped them.

“Oh, Trini, what about that for Jason?” She pointed over to the men’s section. One of the front displays had a long sleeve satin shirt in a deep burgundy, tucked into dark grey slacks.

They moseyed over to the mannequin. Trini considered the outfit.

“Nope. I want it short sleeved. I don’t give a shit what he wants. If he’s making me shop for him, then he’s gonna wear what I want to see him in. Fuck his comfort.”

Kim cackled. She loved when Trini got playfully vicious. It was such the opposite of how she normally presented herself.

Kim narrowed her gaze, understanding the need to reconsider.

“Okay, okay. Jason’s got some nice guns, so I can’t say I blame ya.”

Trini sighed dreamily. “And I might even buy him a shirt one size too small…”

Kim blushed. Aisha snickered.

“Well, Zack will probably outshine us all so…”

Trini nodded. “That’s a good point. And Billy will probably be dressed practically, I’m sure.”

Kim looked at them skeptically, “Oh, I’d give him more credit than that. Don’t you remember how he looked at your reception? I swear, I don’t think I’d seen that much of Billy’s body since high school. Kind of forgot how cute he actually is.”

Trini howled. “Oh I think you got to see way more of Billy’s body back in high school than you ever bargained for.”

Aisha looked a bit lost as Kim grimaced.

“Ugh. God, don’t remind me! I worked so hard to block that out….”

“Oh, I think I found what I want for Jason,” Trini announced. “Meet you ladies by the shoes?”

“You know it.” Aisha smirked, threading her arm with Kim’s.

“So, nothing for Rocky after all?” Kim asked.

Aisha shrugged, “Actually I think the outfit you suggested for Jason might work.”

Kim’s eyes twinkled, “Ooh, so Rocky likes the satin, huh?”

“We both do.” Aisha laughed. “Can I confess something?”

Kim shot her an anxious look. Aisha blushed. “Well, recently Rocky and I have discovered that we’re both a bit…tactile.”

Kim snickered. “What? Like, touching—“

Aisha nodded. “Yeah, like, it helps us—ya know— _gets us in the mood_ if things have like, specific textures, or whatever.”

“Aisha!” Kim hid her face behind a hand. “And it works? Like, what kinds of… _textures?”_

Aisha laughed and shrugged. “Mostly soft and silky stuff, ya know. Hence the satin shirt, but—like, the dress I picked out? He’s gonna love running his hands over all the sequins.”

Kim bit her lip. “Wow. This is like—a serious fetish for you two…”

Aisha nodded. “It kinda is. We both sort of stumbled onto it by accident. But now, it’s like our own little secret.”

“Except now I know, “ Kim teased. “And now I’m gonna watch what you two are wearing all the time.”

Aisha shrugged. “Whatever. It’s kind of exciting having someone else in on it.”

Kim laughed as they approached the shoe displays. Aisha bouncing around the room a bit more saucily after her admission.

Kim held up a strappy pair of gold heels. Aisha considered them but shook her head.

Kim nodded and went back to perusing. Aisha eyed her carefully. “So, do you and Erik—I mean, _did_ you guys have anything like that?”

Kim looked up, momentarily shocked. A weird pang of guilt hit her suddenly. She hadn’t allowed herself to think about him since she’d gotten here. This whole vacation was meant to be a time for her to reassess her feelings, sort out any sense of regret. None of which had much to do with her ex-fiancé. Truthfully, she’d been all too easily distracted. A fact she’d taken for granted, though it amounted to much of the reason she’d been so conflicted recently.

She shook off her daze and flashed Aisha a smile. “Umm, _not exactly_ ,” Kim said. “We found ourselves in a lot of— _natural_ environments, I guess…”

Aisha gave her a curious look. Kim blushed.

“When we’d find ourselves at work at the same time, he was usually in the greenhouse, tending to all the plants and seed stock that he’d brought in from various places. And I was usually out on the grounds, watering and planting. Well, we’d see each other at lunch sometimes and—I don’t know, I guess I got used to seeing him covered in dirt and sweaty…and I was usually soaked from the sprinklers and also dirty—that seemed to do it for us.”

Aisha howled. “Oh yes, girl! Did you guys ever get it on at work? Oh, please tell me you did!”

Kim laughed. “Yes.”

Aisha cackled. A few other random shoppers and a salesgirl stopped to looked at them. Kim ducked her head as Aisha buried her face in Kim’s shoulder. Their attempts to muffle their laughter were a bit useless at this point.

“Oh my god,” Aisha tried to whisper. “Where?”

Kim bit her lip. “There’s this grotto, by one of the fountains,” she started. Aisha’s eyes bugged. Kim laughed.

“It was completely spontaneous. And it was technically after hours. But it sort of became our spot. Like, on the days when we’d be working together but never got to see each other cause our jobs kept us on completely different sides of the Garden…we’d meet back up there after we clocked out and then—“

“ _And then you’d clock back in, if you know what I’m sayin’…”_ Aisha mused.

Kim snorted. The salesgirl from before shooting them another withered glare.

“Oh my god, they’re gonna kick us out…”

The salesgirl at the shoe counter just rolled her eyes as the two women continued to wander. They were still bubbling with laughter. Shooting knowing glances to one another as they pretended to shop.

\---x---

_Scott Residence  
_ _Friday, June 22 nd, 4:32pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Tommy and Rocky looked up from the couch as the girls spilled into the den, various bags dangling from their arms.

  
“Beware of hot women bearing gifts,” Rocky muttered. Tommy chuckled.

Trini shot them a look. “Where is everybody? The kids?”

Tommy motioned upstairs. “Jase’s showing Adam and Tanya the pregnancy tub—“

  
“Kids are in the bedroom,” Rocky added.

  
Trini nodded, setting her bounty of purchases onto the coffee table before leaving for the kitchen.

Tommy wandered over to Kim and tried to peek inside the larger bag she held.

“What’d you get?”

She wrested it back. “Just a little black dress,”

He quirked an eyebrow, “How little?”

She demurred, batting her lashes.

He rolled his eyes. She dug inside another bag to produce a small box.

“This is for you,” she said, handing off the item. He turned it in his hands.

“What is it?” He asked. She smiled, “Open it and find out.”

He wondered at her as he started to rip at the paper. Jason came bounding down the stairs, tapping his wrist as he entered the den.

“Where the hell you been? You know you left yourselves with less than three hours to get ready?”

Trini reentered with a soda and waved him off, “Oh whatever, it was worth it.”

“So worth it,” Kim whispered to Aisha as they laughed conspiratorially.

Rocky slid between the two. “Find anything good?” he asked, tugging at one of the bags.

Aisha snapped it back from him. “Ah, ah, ah! You’re just gonna have to wait and see.”

Jason clapped and rubbed his hands together. “Alright, so what’s the damage? What are you subjecting me too?”

Trini smiled. “Take a look.”

Tommy looked up distractedly as he continued to unwrap his gift. Rocky and the girls hooted as Jason pulled out the red button up.

Short sleeved, just as Trini wanted, with solid red opaque blocks at all the seams, The body of the shirt, an finely woven mesh that rendered it slightly see-through.

Jason scoffed. “Are you shitting me? Is this seriously what you want me to wear?”

Trini smirked, pulling out a pair of black leather pants. “And these.”

Rocky didn’t know how it could get funnier. He howled wildly as the girls all giggled at Jason’s reaction. Trini held it up to him, imagining the impact the garment would have once it was actually on her husband’s body.

Jason eyed his wife challengingly. “You do realize that mostly _men_ will be hitting on me now, in this outfit?”

Trini matched his serious expression. “Oh I’m fine with that.”

Tommy stared down at the box in his hands. “After Shave, huh?” he looked back at Kim with a smirk. “You trying to tell me something?”

She shot him an impish grin and shrugged.

The group’s laughter and ribbing surrounded him as Jason leaned into his wife and placed a loving kiss by her ear.

Trini smiled as she felt him whisper. “You’re gonna pay for this.”

Trini smirked. “I’m counting on it.”

Aisha flashed a glance at her phone. “Okay, in all seriousness though, we should probably disperse and get ready.”

“It’s gonna take Jason that long to get into those damn pants,” Rocky cackled.

Jason mocked his friends’ laughter. “Shows what you know. I got two toddlers, bro. Which means I got baby powder as far as the eye can see.”

The group erupted with laughter at Jason’s good nature as they all collected their findings and started for their respective destinations. Aisha allowed Rocky to check inside the bags as they made their way up the stairs toward their room, Tommy following to retrieve Miles from where he was sequestered with the toddlers.

Kim stuffed Tommy’s gift back inside one of her other bags, while Trini lovingly draped her husband’s new outfit over her arm as he packed up the rest of her purchases.

“We’ll see you back here a bit before seven, yeah?” Jason reminded Kim.

Kim nodded. “Yep, we’ll be here with bells on.”

Trini dashed over and snuck a quick kiss to Kim’s cheek.

“You sure you don’t want to get ready here? We’re pulling an old school receiving line, show off our outfits to the gentlemen.”

Kim laughed. “No, that’s okay. As fun as that sounds…”

“Okay,” Trini sang out.

Tommy returned carrying a groggy Miles in his arms. She nodded to him and made to head out.

“Bye, Jase,” Kim called out behind her.

“You better tell me how hot I look,” Jason warned her.

She spun and walked backwards a few steps, “ _Red_ hot,” she snickered, turning back to face forward once more.

He rolled his eyes and headed up the stairs.

\---x---

_Club NEON  
_ _Friday, June 22 nd, 10:04pm  
_ _Los Angeles, CA  
_ _2010_

True to their theories, Kat and Billy had met their friends in front of the downtown LA dance club, looking every bit as sleek and glamorous as the girls had imagined they would. Kat in a long sleeved, rose gold romper that kept her modestly covered up top, but showed off plenty of leg, while Billy sported a slim cut pant with a shirt and vest combo, all in variants of his signature blue.

The gang greeted one another in joyful praise, hugs and admirations echoed off the building’s wall. The girls’ delighted squeals rang out amidst the lower chatter from the men, and all against the din created by the very crowded line of eager party guests that stood in line awaiting entry at the club’s blue carpet. The velvet rope dividing bodies into two long queues, though the destination was the same.

NEON had the slightest throwback vibe, at least from where one stood outside. The building was longer than it was tall, and sported a heavy slanted half gabled roof, akin to most midcentury design. The trim aligned in neon blue. The club’s sign too, in massive italicized fluorescent tubing, right above the doubled entry doors.

As if another venue from some bygone era had managed to escape complete annihilation and was resurrected in a sort of cyber techno landscape.

A thousand eyes seem to fall onto their group of friends as an entourage of muscled men and one ringleader stepped outside and met them with the brightest smile.

“Oh, now, y’all didn’t think I was gonna make you stand here like you’re just a bunch of background extras, did you?”

Zack, in all his glory, stepped up to his oldest friends and hailed them down from their place in line. The gang of nine followed him, backed up and protected by the bouncers that took up the slack behind them.

The friends felt the stares that accompanied their most auspicious walk, allowing them to eschew the waiting that befell most other patrons.

They ascended up the steps. Another bouncer at the door extended his impressive arm span to give Zack’s VIPS the room to enter.

“Alright now, I got friends all over this place. Deejay, shot girls, bouncers, all friends of mine. Don’t sweat a thing.”

If they could have heard it, a collective gasp was made as the blackened doors shut behind them. Two stories, with a wrap around balcony that broke only in the center for the deejay. Behind that, giant LED panels lined the walls in the club’s trademarked hue. On the entry level where they stood, alcoves sporting games and photos booths, and a smaller lounge and bar sat against the farthest wall to the west. To the east, the expansive bar rode from the deepest corner and wound its way nearly to the door. A small corridor to their immediate right subsumed at least two bathrooms. And of course, beneath them, the moneymaker. An illuminated dance floor, which seem to cover as much acreage as the interior allowed.

Zack turned around and faced his friends. His voice somehow breaking through the thick, his years of practice inside loud arenas just like this one.

“Go. Have fun,” he instructed. He shot a hand at Kim, “Save me a dance.”

Kim nodded dumbly as she looked around in awe. Zack was gone before any of them knew it.

“Holy shit,” Rocky muttered.

“How is this place already this crowded?” Aisha wondered.

“And there’s still that kind of line outside?” Trini mused.

Kim looked up at Tommy. He looked absolutely overwhelmed. He wasn’t alone.

She nudged him with her hip, “You okay?”

He shook his head. “I hate being around this many people.”

She snorted and held onto his arm for support.

“Well, what does everyone feel like doing?” Kat asked.

Rocky’s eyes glazed over as he spotted a retrofitted arcade in the corner.

“Shut up! Ish, Do you see that?” He grabbed her hand and started to pull them away.

Aisha rolled her eyes, “Seriously? You are a thirty year-old man…”

Even as she protested, she let him drag her along. She called back over her shoulder, “We’ll find you guys later!”

Jason shook his head, “This place is like an amusement park…”

Tommy scowled, “What happened to just sitting at the bar and having a few drinks?”  
  


Trini and Kim leaned into each other and laughed conspiratorially,

“ _Back in my day…”_ the both grumbled mockingly.

“That joke just never gets old…” Tommy grumbled.

Billy came up in between them. “What’s so amusing ladies?” he wondered innocently.

Jason snickered and wrapped an arm around Tommy’s back. “Old Man Oliver thinks it’s too loud.”

“Well it is!” Tommy all but shouted over the music to prove his point.

Jason shook him by the shoulder “Come on, bro, let’s go get you some liquid courage…”

Tommy slipped from Kim’s hold as Jason pulled him off. He stopped to look back at the rest.

“You guys wanna snag a booth, we’ll meet you?”

Kim scoffed, “If we can find one…”

Trini smiled at her husband. “Gimlet, please,” she said.

Jason nodded in understanding and then pointed at Kim.

Kim shrugged. “Make it easy, same.”

“Kat, Billy?” Jason asked.

Kat was staring out at the dance floor longingly. Billy opened his mouth to answer before Kat threaded her arm through his.

“Let’s dance first,” she said.

Billy balked. “Oh, I’m afraid I’m not terribly proficient with this genre—”

Jason ducked his head with a smirk.

Kat tightened her hold. “Oh, it’s real easy. You just move back and forth against each other.”

Kim locked eyes with Tommy who smiled, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

Billy cleared his throat and turned back to his friends. “We’ll rendezvous with you all in the subsequent hours.”

Trini gave him a supportive pat on the back as Kat whisked them off to the dance floor.

Jason laughed. “Well, now I’ve changed my mind,” he said, draping his arm around Trini.

“ _You_ want to dance now?” She stared at him in shock.

“No. I want you to come with me,” he explained. He shot a look to Kim and Tommy.

“You two suckers can go find us a table.”

Tommy groaned as Kim stuck her tongue out at Jason.

“Poison, bro?” Jason asked.

Tommy shrugged. “Beer, I guess.”

“Lame!” Jason teased, spinning around as he led Trini off to the bar.

Tommy rolled his eyes. He felt Kim’s hand take hold of his. “Come on, let’s go find a seat.”

He let out a shaky breath as she released his hand and started off in search of a place to sit.

It felt like every square inch was occupied. The gang could make fun of him all they wanted, Tommy hated clubs like this. He’d just never understood the appeal. He wasn’t a big dancer, so the massive lit up dance floor barely made an impression. He disliked almost all of the music they played. The drinks were always overpriced and watered down. Lines for the bathroom were so long you might as well piss in the alley. And as novel as some of the amenities looked, they just added to the din and distraction. It wasn’t even conducive for a date, privacy was a joke in this place, right?

Though as he muddle through the swarm, it reminded him of walking in a big city. You were almost more anonymous. There were so many people, they paid little mind to anyone else. _Lost in the crowd,_ indeed. Even so, he maintained, if you did manage to find some secluded recess, the place was so damn loud, you’d still have to shout at your date to be heard.

Though he supposed any couple who found themselves in one of those concealed spots, probably didn’t go there for conversation.

He shook his head _. Maybe he was an old man._

He was about to shout for Kim to watch out as she narrowly sidestepped a random shoulder. More unknown hands rested against anonymous bodies as he tried to keep pace with her swift navigation through the crowd. He was not nearly as nimble as she was. Credit her size, he figured. Or with being a hot chick trying to get where she needed to go in a club filled with leering men and women.

He managed to gain on her, coming up right behind her. She glanced over her shoulder as he rested a hand on the small of her back. She smiled and kept moving only as fast as would allow Tommy to remain attached.

Finally, and after what felt like an eternity, they made it to the other side. Err, well, _beyond the perimeter_ , of the horde.

He exhaled audibly and rubbed his forehead. This place was already starting to give him a headache.

“Welp, we’re up in the cheap seats but at least they’re seats,” Kim said. She slid into the high back booth up against the wall.

Tommy glanced around as he slid in beside her. They were nowhere near from where they’d started. He couldn’t even see the entrance anymore.

“Think Trini and Jason will be able to find us?” He asked.

“Maybe,” she mumbled. She craned her neck to look out. Not that it mattered. She’d need to get up on Tommy’s shoulders before she’d ever be able to see anything.

They could see the deejay, elevated on the balcony as he was. And their table was right off the dance floor.

“Think we’ll ever see Zack again?” he mused. He looked over at Kim, absently bobbing her head to the music.

She hadn’t heard him. He smiled. She caught him staring. She smiled back. “What?”

He rolled his eyes. He scooted closer and lowered his mouth to her ear. She leaned in at the ready.

_Okay, okay. So maybe he hadn’t given the club’s set up enough credit._

“You look like you’re having fun.”

She smirked and cupped her hand around his ear to say, “You look miserable.”

She pulled back to gauge his reaction. He laughed. She bit her lip and pulled him back again, “You smell good.”

He mimicked her last move, cupping her ear before leaning in closer, “I’m wearing your gift.”

“Good job me,” she said. He couldn’t stop smiling. He still felt a bit like an idiot. Voluntarily choosing to converse this way. But he couldn’t stop smiling.

“You like this music?”

She shrugged. “Why, wanna dance?”

He reared back in feigned surprise, pointing first to himself and then to her. When she nodded he pretended to throw up.

She playful punched his arm as he laughed. He caught her hand and pulled her closer.

He leaned into her ear once more. “Maybe a slower song. I’m not as young as I used to be.”

She bit her lip, turning his head to respond in his ear, “I’ll go easy on you.”

He pulled back to study her face. His eyes fell onto her lips as he licked his own. She smiled.

“What did I say?” Jason’s voice rang out as Trini laughed.

“He was very good looking, babe. You’d have my complete permission.”

Tommy had never been so glad to see them. He practically shot out of the booth as his friends arrived. He extended his hands to help Trini as she carefully balanced the very full glass in her hands. Trini shot him a grateful smile as he set one of the cocktails down and gently slid it across to Kim.

Trini set her own glass on the table before taking a seat. Tommy stopped her and offered his former spot next to Kim.

“Here, you take the booth.”

She frowned in confusion before deciding whatever and slid next to Kim. Jason and Tommy took the outer chairs that faced the wall, across from the girls.

Jason handed him his bottle of beer before smacking his own rocks glass against it.

“Cheers, bro.”

Tommy raised his bottle, “Cheers.”

“Wait, wait,” Kim shouted, sitting up on her knees in the booth. She was too short to reach for a toast otherwise. She snuck a tiny sip from her cocktail to bring the level down before smacking her lips at the taste.

Her companions laughed as they held up the drinks in anticipation. The vinyl sank unevenly under her weight, Tommy’s hand shot out to help steady her. She kept her hand braced against his and raised her drink with her free hand.

“Call it, Pinkie,” Jason directed.

“Here’s to….old friends and new memories—No, wait, that’s dumb.”

Tommy’s mouth stopped abruptly at the lip of his bottle and shot her a look.

Jason shrugged and took a sip of his jack and coke. As Kim had done before her, Trini took a sip long enough to render her less fearful of spilling.

They poised their drinks again as Kim started back up. “Here’s to—“

“Here’s to figuring stuff out.” Tommy said. He shot her a wink.

She smiled. “Here’s to figuring stuff out _with old friends_ ,” she amended.

“Cheers!”

Jason leaned over to give Trini a kiss.

Tommy watched Kim as she set her glass back on the table. He relinquished his hold on her arm. She was still kneeling into the vinyl.

He smirked. “You gonna stay in the seat like that all night?”

She glared at him. “Oh, you’d be amazed how long I can stay on my knees.”

He went into a coughing fit.

Jason and Trini turned to look at the commotion as Kim sat back down properly in her seat and calmly took another sip of her gimlet.

“You ok, bro?” Jason asked, smacking him on the back a few times.

Tommy’s face was red. Trying to catch his breath as he waved off Jason’s concern.

“Well, hello you beautiful people.”

The table looked up to see a shot girl standing over them.

Jason was all ready to say no when a hand at his back stopped him.

“We’ll take four, whatcha got?”

Jason looked at Tommy in surprise. “Really?” Tommy was already up and out of his seat, inspecting the choices.

Jason sighed and gave a look to the girls. “Ladies?”

Kim nodded excitedly as Trini laughed, “Sure, why not.”

Jason leaned away as the shot girl rested her hip against the side of his chair.

Trini laughed at her husband’s sweet attempt to seem grossed out by the obviously attractive shot girl.

Kim smirked as Tommy kept pulling out the different vial-shaped glasses from their slots. He held them up to the light and sniffed their contents.

“Here, Jason, take my seat,” Kim instructed as climbed out of the booth.

He accepted her mercy and scrambled over to sit next to Trini. He placed a kiss to her temple as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Trini handed off his drink to him, lovingly replacing the napkin beneath it.

“You’re such a coward,” Trini chuckled. Jason frowned and whispered in her ear.

_“Her crotch was very close to my face.”_

Trini laughed hysterically.

Kim slid up beside Tommy. “They’re not lab samples, you dork. Just pick something.”

He scowled. “I thought it was just gonna be like, tequila or vodka shots. These all have weird names.”

Kim smiled to the shot girl, “Forgive my friend. He’s new.”

The shot girl laughed, her giant boobs bouncing. They rattled the tray in her hands.

Tommy stumbled. “What are the boob ones—uh, _blue_ ones?”

Shot Girl raised the vial. “Kamikaze; vodka, lime and blue curucao.”

Kim made a face. “I’ll handle this. Does the club have a house shot?”

The girl nodded and pulled out a vial. “The Neon Bombshell; Midori, Sprite, and Sweet Revenge.”

Kim cackled hysterically. She didn’t know if the girl was being cute or if that was the actual name for a liquor.

“We’ll take ‘em.”

Shot Girl nodded as she pulled out the drinks and handed them off to Kim.

Kim held up the drinks to the light. “Ope, look at that, they’re green and pink.” Kim gave Tommy a wink.

Tommy rolled his eyes and reached for his wallet.

Shot Girl nodded. “That’ll be 20 bucks.”

Jason and Trini took their vials as Kim sat back down, holding on to hers and Tommy’s.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Danni, Danni, hold up. I got them. No charge for them.”

The foursome’s eyes lit up as Zack came sliding up behind the shot girl as he wrapped an arm around her.

Tommy put away his wallet. Kim, Jason and Trini greeted him from their seats.

“Zack!” “We didn’t think we’d ever see you again!”

Zack winked to his friends. Danni, the artist formerly known as Shot Girl, spoke low in his ear.

Zack nodded as he grabbed a fifth shot for himself. “Yeah, yeah, just tell Akil I got it covered.”

She whispered something else. Zack smiled.

“You’ll get your tip later,” he said quietly. Danni laughed and walked off.

Jason gave Tommy a sly look as Zack spun back around and clapped a hand onto Tommy’s shoulder.

“Thank, man.”

“You got it.” Zack addressed the group. “Hey, I can’t pay for your drinks at the bar but I got you if you want more shots, okay?”

Tommy came to sit back down. Kim handed him his shot.

Zack looked around, ”So you crazy kids explored this dance floor yet? Get your freak on?”

They all shook their heads in the negative.

“What?” Zack balked, “How are you going to come to a club like NEON with _me_ and _not_ have been out there to dance?”

The group just laughed. Zack shook his head ruefully.

“Billy—Billy, man—I saw Billy out there!” Zack sputtered, pointing to the crowd of gyrating bodies.

Zack threw his head back and pouted at Kim, “Kim, you’re my girl, you wanna come out there with me and bust a move?”

Her face scrunched apologetically, “Dance card’s full, I think I might have convinced this one to join me later,” she explained, thumbing to Tommy.

Tommy gave a hopeless shrug.

Zack’s disappointment was short lived. He smiled and nodded, “Oh, okay. Alright. Well then, you guys just keep having fun. Let’s do this shot.”

The group nodded. Shots poised at the ready.

“Any special instructions with this thing?” Trini wondered.

“Shoot it,” Jason said.

They counted down and tipped their heads. An assortment of scowls and screwed up faces returned as the taste hit them.

Jason wagged his face, “Jesus, that is tart,” he said, holding out his hand to rid himself of the empty vial as quickly as possible.

Zack nodded as made his rounds collecting the spent drinks, “Yeah house shots are usually saved for the ladies, _no offence_.”

Kim clutched her chest and handed him her vial, “None taken,” she coughed out.

“I kinda like it,” Trini shrugged, licking her lips.

“Me too,” Tommy nodded.

“Alright,” Zack said, “Promise me you won’t just stay in this spot all night?”

“We won’t,” Trini said.

“Okay, good. I’ll find you guys again in a bit.”

“Bye!”

“Why do I feel like we just got a visit from the manager?” Jason asked.

Tommy laughed and leaned back in his chair, resting his arm across the back of Kim’s.

“I think he’s just really smooth,” Tommy offered. “Can’t even help it.”

Trini turned to Jason, “Well, whaddya say? Shall we get out of this booth for a bit? Stretch our legs?”

Jason nodded and gave her a playful kiss, “Sure.”

She pried his arm from around her shoulders, holding onto his hand as she climbed out of her seat.

He quickly downed the rest of his earlier cocktail as Trini yanked him out of the booth.

Jason looked at Kim and Tommy, “You guys wanna join?”

Tommy opened his mouth to respond. Trini grabbed Jason by the collar and pulled him down to whisper something in his ear.

Jason blushed and gave the other pair a shrug. “Uh, you’re on your own.”

His arms wrapped about Trini from behind as she guided them off into the crowd.

Tommy snickered. “ _And that’s how baby number three gets made.”_

Kim and Tommy laughed as they watched the couple disappear. Kim looked back at him.

“You look like you’re having more fun now.”

Tommy nodded, “I am.”

“Good.”

The scratch of a record sounded. A captured quote from some vintage audio began, followed by a low tattoo of a vocalized downbeat.

Tommy looked up at the deejay, a smiling curling on his lips before he turned to look back at Kim. They shared a small laugh as they listened to the bit of dialogue.

_“I feel that you shouldn't get involved in an intimate relationship_ _  
Until you are emotionally mature enough to handle it totally  
Able to cope with your feelings and your sexuality  
Without guilt, inhibition or phoniness  
But with love, tenderness and honesty…”_

The lights in the club shifted in an instant, dropping down and casting a fuchsia glow all around. The moody synthesizer faded up, the lazy electronic pulse of the music wordlessly dictating the pace of the bodies that had begun moving on the dance floor. Tommy started bobbing his head, pleasantly surprised that he was enjoying the beat.

Throaty female vocals were heard, though it spoke more than actually sang. The lyrics drawled out in sultry breaths.

_Things were disappearing_ _  
In my neighborhood  
Once again somebody  
Was up to no good  
I saw that you were wanted  
But not like I wanted you_

Kim stood up and grabbed his hand with a soft tug. He rose from his seat with little resistance. He swallowed the lump in his throat, studying the back of her head as she led them out onto the crowded floor.

She turned back to face him, guiding his hands to lay about her waist, trapping herself in the loose confines of his arms. She held her arms above her head and shifted to the staccato tempo, her shoulders rolling as she swayed her hips. It might have been repetitive if not for the erotic undertones of the song.

_And that's when I knew I had to be with you_ _  
And that's when I knew if I didn't I'd be through  
To end my grief I'd have to catch a thief  
Your love was my relief my love is your release_

_Come into my window_ _  
It's open every night  
That's where I'll be waiting  
I'll keep off all the lights  
I'm lying on my bed  
Crown jewels on my head_

He stood lamely as she danced for him, her breasts skimmed against his torso as she moved. She lowered her arms as she turned in his hold, her back pressed against his front. She led his hands to lie against her stomach, lacing their fingers together as she rocked languidly in time to the ambient rhythm.

_I'd never give you up_ _  
So come in from the cold, let your hair down  
I'd hide you from the cops  
Don't be frightened now my love  
I'll take a life of crime  
All to make you mine  
  
_

She raised her left arm and reached up behind her, letting her fingers run against the side of his cheek, her head lolling to the other side and exposing the curve of her neck. He bowed his head, inhaling the scent of her hair as her fingers raked through his.

_Come in off that roof top_ _  
You're so handsome dressed in black  
  
_

His breath fanned across her neck and her eyes fluttered shut. She smiled as his nose nudged her ear and she turned her face to meet his. He leaned in closer, their mouths dangerously close to one another’s.

_See you in the shadows_ _  
I'd like to see you on your back_

She dipped in a sudden burst, bending at the knees before twisting slowly as she slid back up the length of him. She arched her back and pressed the curve of her ass into him. His right hand held her tighter as his left hand shot up to grab the wrist still draped around his neck. He stroked the length of her arm, over her shoulder, dragging his fingers down and along the left side of her body.

_Take this precious treasure_ _  
And I will treasure you_

Still they rocked together as the unwavering hypnotic loop of music kept them in its thrall.

_We'll run away my dear_ _  
Some place special have no fear  
We'll even change our names  
We'll be kinky, we'll be strange  
  
_

She turned in his arms to face him once more. His hands dragged across her midsection before landing on the swell of her backside as she fisted the fabric of his shirt to pull him closer. Over and over, their bodies met and teased, rolling and winding slowly against the other. Their shared gaze intense and hungry.

_I'll take a life of crime_ _  
All to make you mine  
All to catch a thief  
Your love was my relief my love is your release  
Your love was my relief my love is your release  
All to catch a thief_

The last word swallowed by the final chord. Both of them left panting. Tommy licked his lips as his fingers flexed against her hips. She laid her palm flat against his stomach and let it slip before backing away slowly and disappeared into crowd.

The lights shifted into blue, the pounding bass line of a new and anonymous techno song already blasting through the speakers.

The last song’s enchantment breaking left him no less determined. He pushed through the throng of undulating bodies that surrounded him. Kim was so small he’d lost sight of her as soon as she’d walked off. He squeezed between the backs of flailing dancers, wincing when he caught an elbow to the gut. Finally emerging on the other side, he scanned the club before his eyes landed on the far end of the neon- trimmed bar.

She was leaning over the counter. And despite the generous heels she sported, still stood on her tiptoes to accommodate her forwardly bent position. Her bare legs on display from the criminally short dress she’d worn tonight, the hem stopping mid-thigh.

He watched as she fell back onto one heel and propped the other leg on the foot rail as he made his approach.

The bartender placed a rocks glass before her. She produced a thin leather case from her cleavage and handed the man the bills. He nodded thanks as he took the money and left.

Her small wallet still clutched in her right hand, she pulled the drink closer by the napkin with her left. Propping the elbow onto the counter while lifting the drink to her lips, she took a slow, contemplative sip. She studied the amber liquid for a moment before curling her hand inward and resting it against her cheek, still holding the glass. She stared off into nothing.

Her eyes shot up as a hand grabbed her drink, tearing her from her thoughts. Tommy brought the glass up to his lips and downed the rest before coming to sit on the stool beside her. He sucked in a breath as the alcohol burned on his tongue.

He replaced the empty glass on the counter in front of her before signaling for the bartender.

“Whiskey?” he guessed.

“Bourbon,” she corrected.

The bartender returned. “Two more of these,” Tommy said. The man nodded and went off again.

He spun in his chair to observe the crowd, leaning an elbow onto the counter as he sprawled out in the seat.

Kim drew lazy circles around the rim of her spent drink glass as she watched him.

The muscles in his jaw ticked, highlighting his cheekbones. Her eyes dropped to the column of his neck before reaching his collarbone. The smallest expanse of extra skin exposed thanks to the top few buttons undone from his shirt. She tilted her head as she studied the way the white fabric clung to his muscled chest and arms.

He’d rolled up the sleeves at some point earlier in the night, exposing his sculpted forearms. She smirked as she considered he’d done it for her benefit. He’d worn a similar outfit when they’d gone out to dinner the night she’d arrived in town. She’d commented how much she loved that very specific part of his upper body, and especially when he’d cuff or push up the fabric to his elbow. Something about the way the veins and muscles twisted and flexed beneath the skin, strong and masculine.

Her gaze hovered even lower, the dark wash of denim pulled taut against his thighs as he reclined in the barstool. His bulge prominently on display while he sat with his legs fanned out.

“That’ll be ten bucks.”

Kim’s eyes snapped back to the expectant bartender as she flipped her booklet open.

Tommy caught her by the elbow and lifted himself enough to reach into his back pocket for his own wallet.

He handed off his card to the man. “Keep it open.”

The bartender nodded and left them once again.

Kim snapped her money case shut and slipped it back into a very particular crook of her dress, head bowed to examine herself to ensure the item was secure and wasn’t causing any unsightly bulges.

Tommy reached for a glass as he watched her. He smiled.

“That’s where you keep your money?”

She looked up, “Where else am I supposed to keep it, wearing this?”

He smirked, handing her the glass in his hand before reaching for the other one.

He raised his arm, “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” she echoed, their twin drinks clinking together.

He took a slow but wide mouthful, his lips pursed thoughtfully before swallowing.

Again, he gritted his teeth as the kickback from the drink buzzed inside his mouth.

Kim took a smaller sip, savoring the oaky fumes. It made her lips tingle, a sensation she knew might indicate a subtle poisoning, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

“Thank you for the drink,” she said.

He shrugged, “I owed you one.”

She snickered, turning around to lean against the bar, one arm bent to rest behind her as she stole another sip.

She surveyed the crowd, the deep, funky bass of the current song contenting the sea of bodies in ceaseless gyration.

“So, where do you think everyone else wandered off to?”

He shook his head, “I don’t know,” he said, “I don’t really care right now.”

She turned to face him. He kept his eyes on hers as he raised his glass to take another pull.

She set her drink down and inched herself toward him. He finished off the rest of his and placed it on the counter.

He sat up in his chair and scooted himself forward in the seat as Kim came to stand between his legs. He held her gently by the hips.

Her hands rested on the tops of his thighs, palms idly massaging them over his jeans.

He leaned in, his lips slightly parted. She smiled as he ghosted his face across her own. Close enough to feel the heat from him, but never making contact.

He breeched the imaginary line as his nose brushed up against her cheek, his lips nearly grazing the corner of her mouth. Their eyes met time and time again, silently checking in on one another as they continued to hover. The anticipation of making a move now threatening to explode…

_Mum-mum-mum-mah_ _  
Mum-mum-mum-mah  
Mum-mum-mum-mah  
Mum-mum-mum-mah  
Mum-mum-mum-mah_

“GIRL THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG!”

They pulled apart immediately, Kim turned to lean up against the bar as casually as she could while Tommy spun the stool around to face the bar.

Aisha stopped dead in her tracks. She shot a scrutinizing look at Kim who to her credit, looked a lot calmer than she felt.

_I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please  
Fold 'em, let 'em hit me, raise it, baby, stay with me (I love it)  
Love game intuition, play the cards with spades to start  
And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart_

Aisha nudged her head to indicate the man in the chair beside her. Kim gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

Aisha rushed her at that moment and grabbed her by the elbow. “Come on, let’s dance.”

Kat stumbled out of the crowd, still holding onto to Trini’s hand as they’d done the moment Aisha had heard the start of the Gaga song and they’d decided to brave the mob in search of Kim.

“Kim!” Kat cheered, “You found her!”

Aisha pulled Kim along as the two other women smiled brightly as they drew closer. Trini looked over the heads of the two shorter women approaching and recognized the sulking figure at the bar.

_Oh, whoa, oh, oh_ _  
Oh, oh oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got  
  
_

Kim shared an impassable look with Trini before unthreading her arm from Aisha and held up a finger to signal her to wait.

Aisha smirked as she turned to watch Kim dash back to the bar. Trini and Kat came up to stand beside her.

“What happened there?” Trini whispered.

Aisha looked up at the taller woman and rolled her eyes.

_Oh, whoa, oh, oh_ _  
Oh, oh oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

_Can't read my, can't read my_ _  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)  
  
_

Tommy gave a polite nod to the bartender as he set down another double shot before him. He reached for the glass almost immediately but didn’t down it just yet. He stared down into the cup for a moment and exhaled sharply.

Steeling himself he brought the glass to his lips and knocked back the brown liquid before setting the glass gingerly onto the counter.

_Can't read my, can't read my_ _  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)  
  
_

His fist flew to his mouth as he winced and sucked on his teeth. He’d never get used to that burn. He wasn’t a big drinker, and he liked the taste of a few hard liquors but bourbon was not his usual choice. He supposed it was his fault. Bourbon was not meant for chugging. But he needed something to calm down, _and he needed it fast._

A hand on his shoulder made him turn. Kim smiled back him, saw her old drink on the counter, and downed what remained.

Her eyes watered as she let out a single, strained cough. Tommy managed a small smile. “Serves you right.”

She set the glass back down as he glanced over his shoulder. Three pairs of eyes watched them curiously. “You should probably get back over there.”

“I’m going.” Kim assured him. “You wanna join us?”

He shook his head and turned back toward the bar, “No thanks. One dance was enough for me.”

Kim rolled her eyes as she watched him imbibe another sip of his bourbon.

Seeing her still standing there, he turned his head to look at her. “Seriously Kim, go. I can feel the girls burning a hole in my back.”

She frowned but nodded, turning to leave. Satisfied she’d left for good, he turned back to his drink once again.

_Oh, whoa, oh, oh  
Oh, oh oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got  
Oh, whoa, oh, oh  
Oh, oh oh  
I'll get him hot, show him what I've got_

The girls exploded onto the dance floor, arms to the sky as they snaked and bobbed to the beat.

Aisha and Rocky had run into Zack once Aisha had insisted on corralling Kim. They spotted Billy and Kat who’d managed to snag a spot in front a half wall that separated the bar from the dance floor. Jason and Trini were just returning from parts unknown, Kat explaining to them where Aisha had gone in such a hurry.

_P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face (mum-mum-mum-mah)  
P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face (mum-mum-mum-mah)_

In turns as sexy as they were silly, they swiped a flat hand past their face, changing expressions from serious to smiling. Rocky strutted onto the floor and joined them, making them laugh with clunky robotic isolations. Aisha shook her head and playfully shoved him away. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, stealing a kiss.

_  
Mum-mum-mum-mah  
Mum-mum-mum-mah_

Jason frowned and sipped his drink, “Rocky had the right idea. Why are the rest of us just standing here like a bunch of love-struck idiots?”

_I won't tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you  
'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin  
I'm not lying, I'm just stunnin' with my love-glue-gunnin'_

Trini’s moves were a bit conservative, rolling her shoulders and hips in a steady rhythm, but if anyone knew her she was thoroughly enjoying herself. Jason held up his drink in a silent toast of appreciation. Trini feigned indifference with an aloof nod of her chin, shrugged, and continued her low-key shuffle.

“Perhaps because we all appear to be?” Billy suggested, tipping his own glass back.

Kat put everyone else’s moves to shame. She was incredibly fluid, as one might have expected. Aside from Zack, she was easily the best dancer in the group. Her sways and dips always completed in long pulls and strokes. No move made without grace, even the raunchiest bends and snaps were still marked by years of training and precision.

Kim and Aisha were the sloppiest, both of them more athletes than dancers, ever. And though they both possessed the grace, the objective of tonight was to let loose, and they’d jokingly enjoyed this song a few years back when it came out, pledging a silly allegiance that it become their theme.

_  
Just like a chick in the casino  
Take your bank before I pay you out_

_I promise this, promise this  
Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous_

Kim jerked her neck back and forth as the winding synth in the song dictated. She raised her arms above her head and bent her elbows, pushing up the air above her.

Aisha held out her arms and beckoned Trini with the crook of her finger. They shot each other a deadly glare, sucking in their cheeks and pouting in mock intensity. Kim joined them moments later. They bungled what little Voguing they understood before doubling over in laughter. Trini braced a hand on Kim’s shoulder as she wiped away hysterical tears.

“I’m getting too old for this!”

“Never!” Aisha shouted. Her legs bent in a shallow squat as she brace her hands on her thighs and thrust her chest in rapid succession. Her long braids swinging in time like a pendulum.

_Can't read my, can't read my  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)_

Rocky bounded back over to the men, greeting Zack with an intricate series of slaps and high fives. The two of them shamelessly hooted and whistled at the girls.

Billy looked at Zack. “I’m surprised to see you not participating.”

Zack bobbed his head. Tommy appeared at his side, a dark expression on face. Zack looked back to the dance floor, understanding the source of his friend’s expression. Zack looked back to Billy and smirked.

“Sometimes watching is more fun, man.”

Tommy stared hotly. His eyes roving up and down Kim’s body as she moved. She’d given over to whatever thrill the song possessed of her. He couldn’t say he minded.

_Can't read my, can't read my  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)_

_  
_Kat extended a long leg and cocked her hip, Aisha rolling up against her as they danced back to back. “I think we have an audience…”

Aisha rolled her eyes, “Well, duh.”

Kim dared to look over to where she knew the boys had gathered. The guys were ogling all of them, playful and amused.

_Can't read my, can't read my  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)_

To anyone watching out of context, Tommy might have appeared bored. Kim knew better. She’d seen that fixed expression too many times.

For all that he could be goofy and a bit of a smart-ass, he was just as intense.

But his seriousness could mean different things. Sometimes he’d held it in a moment of sobering truth. Sometimes it meant absolute resolve. Sometimes it signaled danger.

Right now, the look in his eyes was more like watching a hand on the nock of an arrow pulled taut against a bow.

_Can't read my, can't read my  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)  
  
_

His eyes twitched ever so slightly as she met his gaze, his position had been compromised.

She smirked and turned back to her friends to finish out the song. That arrow might be poised to strike. But Kim was the archer.

_  
Can't read my, can't read my  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)  
Can't read my, can't read my  
No, he can't read my poker face  
(She's got me like nobody)_

_Mum-mum-mum-mah_   
  


\---x---


	5. The Name of the Game

_Club NEON  
_ _Saturday, June 23 rd , 2:13am  
_ _Los Angeles, CA  
_ _2010_

Steam seemed to rise as they spilled through the double doors of the downtown club. A thousand bodies worth of alcohol, sweat, and cologne wafted after them.

“Oh, is that what it smelled like from the inside?” Kim grimaced.

“I’m starving,” Rocky said.

“There’s a diner a few blocks south, “ Zack pointed.

“Time check?” Trini asked. Jason looked at his watch. “Quarter after two.”

Kat sighed, “Already?”

Zack snickered at his companions. This was hardly late for him anymore.

Trini reached for Jason’s phone inside his back pocket, “I’m gonna check in with Adam and Tanya…”

“Who’s sober enough to eat _for_ me?” Aisha groaned. Rocky slipped an arm around her waist.

“Oh, fine. Twist my arm…” He smiled down at her. Aisha laughed and reached up to sneak a kiss.

The group started walking down the street toward the diner, the decision to eat and sober up some more came wordlessly. Rocky and Aisha leading the way as their voices and laughter echoed off the buildings.

Trini snuggled into Jason’s hold as she waited on the phone. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. _“Hey,”_ she whispered at the other end, _“How it’s going?”_

Tommy walked a few steps behind them, hands stuffed into his pockets as he took in the scenery.

Billy and Kat walked hand in hand, idly stopping to look inside the windows of the stores they passed.

Zack and Kim hung at the back, arms threaded.

“Thank you for an amazing evening, Zack.”

“My pleasure. You had fun?”

Kim nodded. “ _So_ much fun.”

“Then my job here is complete,” he laughed.

“Are you sure you’re not a mob boss?” She asked playfully, “Me and the girls have a bet going.”

Zack snickered, “I _wish_ I was a mob boss.”

She turned to him conspiratorially, “The point guy for a secret, underground ring of crazy flavored shot suppliers?”

Zack laughed, “Yes.”

Kim snorted and leaned into him.

Zack shrugged, “This is just what club promoters do. You gotta be everywhere. Checking in, schmoozing, paying for shots, saying hey to everybody...”

He looked back at her. “You remember _Mambo_ back in Geneva?”

Kim giggled. “I remember _Luca Müller…”_

Zack laughed. “Jor gurlfrint Keems is zo teeny, I vant to poot her een my pocket.”

Kim nodded seriously. “He actually did try to put me in his pocket.”

Zack shook his head. “I was there for one of their Latin Dance nights, and, you know me. Thought I’d just do my thing and impress the ladies, right? But the club was dead. Nobody was showing up to these things. I felt like it was my job to fix it. I talked to everybody who looked important. Ended up bringing in a dozen or so people. It wasn’t huge but in less than two hours I’d doubled the crowd. Owner found me and put me touch with Bell Blaser—”

Kim’s eyes went wide, “Oh my god, from Blaser Presents?”

Zack smirked, “You know them?”

“Bell is Coach Schmidt’s daughter-in-law!”

“Shut up! You serious?”

Kim nodded excitedly. “She came to watch the Pan Globals. She loved my floor routine so much she wanted to use the footage in a campaign ad for some sports drink or something.”

“Man, this is a small world, I’m telling you.”

“Well so, what happened then? You met with Bell?”

Zack nodded. “Yeah, and I explained why I was even in Europe in the first place, how us meeting was sort of a fluke, but that I had a background in dance and just really dug the club scene and you know, felt like more people should be going to these things. She told me about a new place they were trying to help out here in LA, and I knew I wasn’t gonna stay in Switzerland forever so, I took the job and that’s when I moved back. The club got shuttered, but my work got noticed and then I met Akil who hooked me up with NEON.”

“And Akil _owns_ the club?” Kim guessed.

“He owns _a bunch_ of clubs. All the clubs I promote, but I work with NEON the most.”

“And how many is that?”

“12, total. In any other city, he’d have taken over by now.”

Kim’s eyes widened, “12? You’re responsible for promoting 12 different clubs?”

“Not alone. Akil’s got a whole team. But ya know, loyalty is sort of the name of the game. Brands expect it if you want to keep a mutually beneficial relationship, performers expect it. Club _owners_ _definitely_ expect it. And this is all obviously so you can get _customers_ to be loyal to your club.”

“So you like, sort of _have to_ schmooze and be everywhere when you’re at the club?”

Zack nodded. “If I’m not constantly making money for somebody else, I won’t get _my money.”_

He shrugged. “Like I said, Akil’s got a whole team. I’m totally expendable. But we’ve become pretty tight in the last few years and you know, _my work is impeccable so_ —“

Kim laughed. “Yes it is. You are a natural salesman. And I say that with complete affection.”

Their laughter subsided. They watched their companions walking in front of them.

Zack nudged his chin to motion up ahead. “So, what’s happening there?”

Kim knew he meant Tommy. She gave him a sideways glance. “I don’t know what you’re referring to…”

Zack smirked. “You two are just gonna play it like this, huh? No matter how long it’s been, no matter what else you got going on, _who_ else you got going on…”

She was starting to regret having told him about her life the past few years. Zack had always had her number when it came to these types of things. He could nose out a secret better than Trini. She’d only gotten the jump on him once in high school, when she’d managed to convince him she’d forgotten his 15th birthday.

She supposed it was what made him so good at what he was doing now. His unparalleled charisma and infectious energy notwithstanding, Zack was sharp as an eagle, and sly as a fox _._ He was also remarkably resilient

Kim could recall his constant pursuit of Angela Charles back in high school, which by today’s standards might get him called out. But he was never untoward, and always backed off when she asked him to. No. It was more that, he never got mad at her rejections, never assumed any sign of reciprocation meant she now owed him one. It was her prerogative. If she one day decided to give him a chance, he’d happily show her a good time. If she never came around, that was cool too.

His self worth never seemed tied to whether or not anyone liked him. Which ironically is what made _everybody_ like him. But it also made it hard to take him seriously sometimes. So seemingly breezy was he, one might take for granted just how earnest and observant he could actually be.

“Am I a terrible person? Asking Erik for a time out?”

Zack shrugged. “Not if you both agreed to it. And from what you told me, I mean, you two were engaged for what? _Three years_? And _still_ no plans to get married?”

“Honestly I think that had more to do with Erik. He’s all across the globe all the time for work, sometimes for months. He applied for a resident job at the Gardens but he’s waitlisted. He’s too valuable at what he does right now. Anyway, us waiting had nothing to do with—whatever else I’m figuring out right now. Not at first.”

“Tommy’s been divorced less than a year,” Zack reminded her.

“I know,” Kim sighed. “I just—I just needed to know if—if what _I felt_ from seeing him at the wedding was just envy or like, heartbreak…”

“Can I be honest with you?” It was a rhetorical question. Kim barely had to nod.

“Even if it’s all good and you’re both feelin’ it— it _could_ look to the outside like you’re fickle. Or like—“

_“Not loyal?”_ She snickered. “Great…”

Zack unthreaded their arms and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I feel ya. This is why I gave up this game a long time ago. But I feel ya.”

\---x---

_Weiss Guys Diner  
_ _Saturday, June 23 rd , 2:38am  
_ _Los Angeles, CA  
_ _2010_

“Is this it?” Aisha looked up. _WEISS GUYS._

The buzzing sign looked to be on its last leg, a crack in the diner’s logo spilling out brighter from the source. The windows and glass door were blacked out, two hand-written paper signs taped to the glass.

The landscape had changed dramatically in the several blocks they’d travelled. The diner tucked inside a battered storefront shared by a laundromat and what looked like apartments on the second floor. A chain link fence blocked off a razed spot of property next to the brick building. Traffic still zoomed by, and the city still illuminated in the distance, so the gang exhaled knowing they hadn’t completely lost their way.

Tommy stepped up beside Aisha, _“Don’t be a wise guy. Be a Weiss Guy. Open 24 hours,_ ” he read the signs on the door.

They shared a skeptical look and turned back to the group.

“Zack, is this normal?” Kim asked.

“Should we try someplace else?” Trini suggested.

“Whatever, I’m hungry,” Rocky said, brushing past his friends.

A little bell chimed as he swung open the door.

Aisha rolled her eyes, “Boy, I am _not_ trying to be a widow _…”_ She stormed after him.

The rest of them eyed each other as they followed them inside, one by one.

A collective sigh escaped the group as the door shut behind them. It was dingy. A greasy spoon if ever there was. And while currently empty, save for them, it was not abandoned as the outer façade might have suggested. Faint music could be heard, and there was the unmistakable heat and smell from a grill.

The diner was narrow but long, in a shotgun style floor plan. A couple longer booths with a few chairs off to the left side, while the entire right side wall held a bunch of shorter booths pushed together to create a bank that ran from the front window and all the way to the wall that separated the dining room from the kitchen.

The walls were a pale, lemon yellow. Though they might have been white at one time. Years of grease and smoke undoubtedly stained the painted brick. The vinyl of the booths also yellow, though there’s were more like an overripe banana. The florescent lights too, cast everything in a grungy glow.

A short counter stood in front of the pickup window. A portly man with slicked brown hair popped up from behind the metal portal.

“Yeah. Skeech he be right with you.” The larger man disappeared once more.

Rocky was already seated in of the longer booths. Jason and Zack helping him to push together the two tables while Kim and Billy went to steal a few extra chairs.

Aisha slid in next to Rocky, followed by Kat. Billy took a seat in one of the chairs across from them, while Tommy took the other. Jason and Zack offered Kim and Trini the other booth as they took the two remaining chairs.

“I hope they serve onion rings,” Rocky bounced in his seat. “All I want is a giant burger and onion rings. Oh! And a milkshake.”

Aisha looked thoroughly annoyed. Tommy smirked at the other man. He reminded him of Miles in that moment.

To that thought, Tommy patted himself down and checked his phone.

“Do you think a place like this serves breakfast all day?” Trini wondered, “Cause that sounds great right now.”

Kim nodded, “Ooh, yeah. Hash browns, eggs over easy?”

“I’d get them hard boiled if I were you,” Jason quipped, nodding to the general filth of the place. “Unless you _enjoy_ food poisoning…”

Billy pushed the bridge of his glasses back onto his nose. “Zack, are you familiar with this establishment or was it’s _mere_ existence known to you?”

Zack sprawled out in his chair, resting his left arm on the back of Jason’s, “Nah, man. Just heard it was here. Some of the people who work at the club get done so late, most other places are closed by the time they leave.”

“But not this place!” Kim gave an exaggeratedly cheerful thumbs-up.

Billy looked up as Tommy laid his hand on his shoulder, “I’ll be right back. Order me a coffee if the guy shows up.”

Billy nodded. Kim watched him as headed for the door.

“Is he okay?” Kim asked.

Billy shrugged. “He appeared to have received some form of communication that required an urgent response.”

Kim nodded, still watching the door.

“Okay, here’s waters for you.”

Skeech, they assumed, arrived at the head of their makeshift banquet with a tray of water glasses. A lanky man, slightly younger than the other, with a moustache far too large for his slim face and bored look in his eyes. His head wrapped in a faded red bandana, a pen tucked behind one ear.

He placed them down in succession, expecting the table to assist him in conveying them further down the line.

They did. He fisted a handful of straws from his apron pocket and tossed them onto the table. Trini and Zack being the closest to where they fell, divided the straws in two bundles and passed those down to the group as well.

Skeech chomped on his gum. “Okay, I take orders. You first blonde cutie,” he said, pointing down to the other end.

Kat frowned, “Wait—who, me?”

Zack looked up at him, “We didn’t get any menus.”

“Skeech, budalla. I say we got two full boots.” The older man came charging at him, grabbing a stack of menus from the front counter.

Skeech rolled his eyes, “Yeah two full boots, Eddy. But you not say menus.”

Eddy shot him a glare before turning back to greet the table.

“Ah, nice morning,” Eddy effused. He handed off the menus. “Please forgive my friend. He not uh, light bulb.”

Kim snorted as her hand shot up to stifle her laugh. Trini nudged her with an elbow.

Jason and Billy shared an amused look as Zack spoke up. “No worries. What’s your name?”

Eddy pointed to himself. “Me, I am Eddy. Is short for Edono.”

Zack shook the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you Eddy, I’m Zack. Short for Zachary but only my mom calls me that so—”

Eddy laughed, his large cheeks rounding into a smile. “Ah. You have God name like me.”

“Oh yeah?”

“ _He has remembered,_ ” Eddy explained, “This is you, what it means.”

“And what does Edono mean?”

“Ah, in Albania, I am like _Love God_ , yeah?”

More than just Kim snickered this time. Eddy motioned to the menus. “Uh, please, please. See what’s good you want. We give you time. Skeech can take orders. And I will cook, ok?”

“Thanks, Eddy.”

“Okay,” Eddy nodded, “Skeech!” He roughed the younger man by the sleeve, “You take what they drink now.” He wrested the empty tray from the man.

Skeech snapped his gum and took out his order pad as if it weighed a ton.

Eddy looked back at the table, “No charge for drinks. Food, yes. I’m sorry. I like you. I make up for this one,” he pointed to Skeech, “But uh, I’m still here for business.”

Zack nodded, “Absolutely. Thank you.”

Eddy bowed his head, “Okay.” He glared one final time at Skeech and headed back into the kitchen.

Skeech barely opened his droopy eyes as he poised his pen.

“You want drinks?”

Billy raised his hand, “Tommy requested a coffee—“

Skeech popped a loud bubble, “I don’t know whose Tommy but ok. One coffee.”

Billy spoke up again. “And I’ll just have—“ He blinked to see Kat mouth something to him.

“We’ll have two cokes, please,” he finished, gesturing between him and Kat.

Skeech made the note and pointed at Aisha. “You cutie, go.”

Aisha scowled. “Diet coke.”

Skeech nodded, skipped Rocky and pointed to Kim, “You cutie, go.”

Jason barely hid his laugh this time. More so for the indignant face Rocky made as he was passed over. Rocky had been the one most hopeful, but now he looked furious.

“Excuse me I—“

Skeech held up a forceful hand to stop Rocky’s protests. “Hey you. I go Ladies first.”

Rocky balked, “Wha—but you took Tommy and Billy’s order!”

“I don’t know whose Tommy and Billy. But now, you shout at me, I go ladies, guys and then you last.”

Rocky pouted and slumped against the booth.

Skeech looked back at Kim, “This guy,” he said, thumbing to Rocky, “He don’t know.”

Kim nodded along, amused by the nonsense but feigning a grave sincerity. “Totally,” she said, “and I’ll also take a coffee.”

“You coffee too super cutie?” Skeech pointed to Trini.

Trini shared a smirk with Jason at her new appellation. “Yes please.”

Skeech nodded. Zack, ever the planner, already had his and Jason’s order at the ready.

“Two more coffees.”

“Okay big mouth thirsty boy, and now we come to you.”

Rocky glared up at Skeech. “I don’t suppose a lovely establishment such as this has milkshakes by chance?”

Skeech smacked his gum again. He seemed to be waiting for something. He shouted over his shoulder, “Eddy! We lovely establishment such as this have milkshake?”

They turned as they heard Eddy call back. “Vanilla only! No cream! Nuts okay.”

Skeech turned back. “Vanilla only. No Cream. Nuts okay.”

Rocky fumed, “Great.”

Skeech rolled his eyes. “I make drinks and come back shortly.”

Zack spared his friends a glance, “I’m so sorry.”

They burst into a fit of laughter. Except for Rocky, still sore. “I don’t even think I’m hungry anymore.”

Aisha rubbed his shoulders, “Oh boy. Its serious now, folks.”

Jason glanced at his watch, “It is nearly three now, guys.”

Kim shot a look to the door. Tommy hadn’t returned. She bit her lip.

Trini buried her head in her hands, “Oof, and we still have to drive back home.”

“I’m just gonna—go check on Tommy,” Kim said, shooing Trini up as she made to stand.

Jason smiled at his wife as she sat back down, “Don’t worry super cutie, I’m driving.”

Trini shot him a faint smile.

“What should we do?” Kat asked, “I wasn’t all that hungry before we got here but now I was looking forward to a bite of _something_.”

“So was I.” Rocky huffed.

“Should we cancel our drinks and just get going?” Trini wondered.  
  


Aisha scoffed, “Are you kidding? After all that?”

“At least maybe we could get ‘em to go…” Zack suggested.

“Oh, Eddy’s gonna be so disappointed, “ Kat frowned.

Jason shook his head with a laugh. They heard a crash from the kitchen.

The two men appeared in the window. Eddy shouted. Skeech laughed. Eddy smack Skeech across the head, yelled something that was most definitely an insult and dragged him out of sight.

Trini looked back at the group suspiciously. “Those two seem awfully familiar?”

Rocky looked confused. The rest caught it almost immediately.

\---x---

Kim wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn’t all that cold, just a guarded instinct.

She blocked the light from a passing car’s headlights. Sighing in relief as she walked further down and saw him tucked inside the entry alcove of another storefront a few feet down.

He was leaning up against a door, his head back and eyes closed. She approached him cautiously. The sound of heels against the sidewalk alerted him, his eyes shot open as he lowered his head.

Kim gave him a tiny wave. “Hi. “

He shoved off the door and pulled her into a hug. Her face buried in his chest.

She didn’t know what it was for, but he clearly seemed upset. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed.

“You were gone for so long, I got worried—“

He exhaled loudly. She looked up at him, “You ok? Bad phone call?”

He nodded. “Bad phone call.”

Her eyes went wide. “Your dad? Miles—“

“They’re fine.” He shut his eyes again.

Kim sighed, “Oh thank god…”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, you guys order yet or—“

She snickered. “Oh, you have missed _so_ much.”

He pulled back to look at her, a smile creeping onto his face, “Why, what happened?”

She laughed and rested her forehead against his chest, “We _just_ ordered our drinks. Half of us don’t even know if it’s worth it to stay for food. It’s nearly three in the morning and we still have to drive back to Reefside…”

She looked back up at him. “They were still debating what to do when I came to find you.”

He shrugged. “I don’t care, I’ll do whatever.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they started back.

She held on to his waist, looking up at him as they walked. She had a feeling who the phone call might have been from, if his face was any indication.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

He shook his head. “Not right now.”

She nodded.

He reached over her head to hold the door as she slipped under. The bell chimed again as the florescent lights assailed their eyes from the recent exterior darkness.

The gang looked up, happy to see them both. A bevy of drinks in paper cups sat among them.

“So we’re _going_?” Kim asked, coming to stand behind Jason and Zack at their seats.

“We ordered four baskets of fries to go, quickest thing we could get.” Jason explained. “I just paid.”

Kim nodded as Zack handed her a coffee. “We’re just waiting on the food.”

“ _And Rocky’s drink,”_ Aisha glared at her husband.

Rocky balked, “I ordered a milkshake, and I’m not leaving ‘til I get it.”

She scoffed, “Have fun drinking your _spit_ shake.”

Rocky grimaced, “Oh, come on—“

Jason snickered, “You did kinda piss Skeech off…”

“You guys suck,” Rocky grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. “Whatever, I’ll still drink it…”

Billy handed off a coffee to Tommy, “The temperature might no longer be ideal. If it ever was at all.”

Tommy nodded. “Thanks.”

“Was your correspondence sufficient?”

Tommy smirked. “No. But it’s fine.”

Billy frowned but said no more. He nodded and clapped a hand on Tommy’s shoulder.

“Skeech!” Eddy yelled out, “Fries up. You have Milkshake?”

Skeech popped up out from the back and came to stand beside Eddy.

“Why you yell? I’m stand beside you.”

“You have milkshake?”

“No.”

Eddy glared at him. “What you mean, no? Two boots waiting. They pay and want to go. Why you just stand there?” He pushed the younger man out of his way.

Eddy came busting through the swinging door, grumbling as he loaded the food into the Styrofoam clamshells before setting them inside two plastic bags.

Eddy’s scowl turned to a smile as he carried over the bags to their table. “Four fries. I add extra. And milkshake is coming. No charge!”

“Thanks Eddy,” Jason nodded.

Eddy nodded and bustled back to the door. Skeech narrowly avoided the smack as he slid past. He smirked, before the door swung out and hit the back of his head.

He grumbled and stomped over to their table. “Milkshake for big mouth.”

“Finally,” Rocky rolled his eyes and reached for the cup.

Skeech pulled it just out of reach. “I make special just for you.”

Rocky scowled and yanked the cup away. The group made to stand, more than ready to leave.

“Eddy, thanks again, man!” Zack called out. Eddy popped up from behind the window once more.

“Yes. Nice morning to you, Zack! Thanks to you for choosing Weiss Guys!”

Zack clapped a hand on Skeech’s shoulder.

“Skeech, it’s been real.” He tried to give the man a high five.

Skeech puzzled at the move but nodded. “Yes. Ok.”

Aisha was already pulling Rocky out the door, Billy and Kat close behind. Jason scooted past Kim and waited for Trini, plastic bags in hand.

Tommy offered Kim his arm. She accepted, glancing over her shoulder as she gave Eddy and Skeech a smile and waved goodbye.

Skeech scrambled after them, pushing his way between Tommy and Kim.

Tommy glared as the man bumped him backward. Zack turned to see the hold up behind him. Skeech flashed Kim a crooked smile.

“You smile at me, cutie. You have husband?”

Kim blinked. “Excuse me?”

Tommy stepped in front of the guy with an arm out to block him. “Hey man, back off.”

Skeech sneered. “This thick neck husband?” he thumbed back at Tommy.

“Skeech!” Eddy shouted, shuffling over to pull him away. “Budalla, why you make me look bad?”

The trio watched as Eddy smacked the skinny man upside the head. “You embarrass me now in front of Zack and his friends.”

Eddy turned to them. “I’m sorry. Skeech think every lady, she smile at him, she want husband.”

Kim waved him off. “Thanks Skeech, I’m flattered.”

Her gave her another goofy grin. Zack bit his tongue as Kim buried her laugh into Tommy’s chest.

Tommy shook his head. _Who the hell were these guys?_

“Good night, fellas. Thanks again,” Zack said with a nod, pulling on Kim’s arm before her giggling insulted someone.

Tommy hung back a beat longer, staring down the two men before heading for the door.

Kim’s laughter exploded once exposed to the early morning air. Zack nudged her with his shoulder. “You have zero chill.”

Their friends were a few feet ahead. They stopped and turned as they heard them finally emerge from the diner.

Tommy came up beside Kim, Zack just a few steps ahead of them as they caught up to their friends. All of them, trying to explain the bizarre epilogue they’d just experienced.

“This has been, without a doubt, one of _the_ strangest nights I’ve ever had,” Trini shook her head.

“And the longest.” Kim said. “I can’t remember the last time I stayed out this late.”

“You cutie, go.” Kat mocked. Aisha joined in, “You big mouth thirsty boy.”

They all laughed hysterically.

“Guess we’ll all be sleeping in today,” Jason mused, lifting Trini’s hand to kiss her knuckles.

Rocky slurped his drink noisily. Billy came up beside him.

“Well, Rocky I see you’ve overcome your previous apprehension regarding the possible contamination of your beverage.”

Rocky paused to briefly reconsider the shake. He shrugged and resumed his slurping.

The gang kept walking in scattered, amiable conversations as they journeyed back to where the evening had begun. It _had_ been a long night, and not just in the chronological sense. The drive home would most likely not yield any significant discussions. All of them too exhausted to contribute anything profound. Whatever had occurred this evening that merited a deeper conversation would just have to wait until tomorrow. Err, _later that day_. At least those charged with driving had sobered up by now. One less worry for the moment.

Tommy looked back down at Kim. She caught his gaze and smiled, threading her arm through his.

Zack glanced over his shoulder, a pithy comment about the events of tonight on his lips. He smirked as he watched the two for a moment.

He shook his head with a sigh and let them have their privacy.

Rocky looked up from the last of his shake, “Hey, did Eddy and Skeech remind you guys of Bulk and Skull?”

\---x---


	6. Play It Cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated M for everything.   
> Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Saturday, June 23 rd, 11:15am  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

She stopped as she saw him, the back door swinging shut behind her. “Morning.”

She hadn’t been expecting him up yet. The gang had gotten home around 6am. Tommy had ended up driving Jason’s car with half of them, while Billy drove the rest. Then Tommy had driven her and him back to his house.

Patricia had been asleep with Miles on the couch when they’d arrived. Fortunately for everyone, Grandma and grandson had had a long night too, and it wasn’t hard to convince the toddler to go back to sleep in his own bed. Tommy asked his mother to stay for coffee and breakfast in a few hours. She declined, bid them both adieu and took off an hour after that. Kim and Tommy then retired to their rooms, the assumption being that everyone would most likely be down for the count for at least a few more hours. Long enough to recharge. Or as long as Miles stayed asleep. Whichever came first.

As it was, Kim could hardly master the measly three hours that had past since she had stepped behind the guest room door. Having had a contemplative drive home to rouse her anxious thoughts alongside the rising light of day.

“Morning,” he said.

Kim swallowed thickly as he folded his arms across his bare chest and leaned against the archway, a t-shirt he’d not bothered to put on yet in his hand. The grey sweatpants he wore slung dangerously low on his hips. She might have thought him deliberately baiting her, if not for the yawn he suddenly let loose, which caused him then to release his arms and scratch his head, remembering his shirt. He tossed the garment on carelessly.

Kim gave a tiny chuckle as his tousled hair became further mussed with the action.

He graced her with a goofy, tired smile. “You sleep okay?”

“All things considered.” She lied. “The guest bed is very comfy. Thank you again.”

That was true.

She pointed dumbly at the countertop. “I was just about to make some coffee but— well, the trash was pretty full so I took that out. But then I didn’t know where new bags were so—“

If he noticed her unnecessary explanation, he didn’t show it. He simply nodded and moved past her to fish out a new bag from under the sink.

“Oh,” she frowned, feeling like an idiot. “I could have found those.”

“You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” He rubbed her arm congenially before moving behind her to line the new bag inside the can.

Kim exhaled and pulled out a new filter from the drawer beneath her and loaded it into the basket before grabbing the bag of coffee grounds from the freezer.

Tommy smiled as he watched her scuttle about the kitchen. “But you’ve figured out where all the coffee stuff is…”

She shot him a sheepish grin, “Only after the first few days…” He laughed.

He was staring at her. She smiled self-consciously as she moved to fill up the carafe with water and returned back to the machine. “What?”

“I had fun last night.”

She smiled, pleasantly surprised. “Well, I’m glad to hear it.”

“You and the girls looked like you did too.”

“Oh god…how bad was it?” She set the coffee pot back onto the hot plate and flipped the button to begin brewing. She turned to lean against the counter next to him.

“You don’t remember? You didn’t drink _that_ much…”

She bit her lip, ducking her head as she recalled their antics on the dance floor. _All of their antics_.

She gave him a playful smack to his chest. “No, I mean—did we look like complete idiots?”

He smirked catching her hand. “Not from where I stood.”

She nodded, suddenly very interested in their entwined fingers as he held her hand against his chest. “Yeah, I seem to recall you watching very intently…”

“I was still recovering from the first dance.”

She looked up at him cheekily, “You said you’d dance to a slow one, so…”

He smiled. “And you promised to go easy on me…” He leaned in. “If that was easy, I’m not sure I’m ready for you to go hard…”

He ran a finger along her chin before tipping her face up to meet his better.

He leaned in further, his mouth hovering above hers. They both smiled, eyes fluttering shut. His breath fanned her face as she licked her lips in anticipation.

“Daddy, daddy, I’m hungry!”

Tommy’s eyes shot open to meet Kim’s wide ones. Tommy pulled away as they heard Miles approach.

Tommy cleared his throat, “Hey buddy, good morning.”

Miles’ tiny feet smacked against the hardwood floor.

Miles came to a slow stop as he entered the kitchen. He looked up at his father eagerly, “I’m hungry.”

Tommy nodded, “Yeah, I heard ya bud. Whatcha want?” He lifted the boy up into his arms and bounced him around.

“Pamcakes,” Miles mumbled, rubbing his eyes as his focus shifted to Kim. “Hi.”

Kim smiled. “Good morning.”

“G’morning,” Miles tried to repeat back. “Daddy makes good pamckaes.”

Kim nodded. “I bet he does.”

“Can you make pamcakes?”

Kim gave him a very serious face, “Oh, you bet I can.”

“Can I have yours?”

Kim smiled. “Sure.” She looked up at Tommy.

He shrugged and set Miles back down on the floor. “You wanna show Kim where everything is to make pamcakes?”

Miles grabbed Kim’s hand and dragged her to the fridge first. She helped him open the door as he pointed to the eggs and butter.

“And a milk,” Miles said. Tommy came up behind her and grabbed the carton from the door. She closed the fridge with her hip as Miles padded over to the other end of the kitchen.

Tommy set the milk on the counter beside the stove as Miles dove for Tommy’s legs and pulled at them, forcing the man to stand further astride.

“Hey bud, what are you doing?” Tommy laughed as he hobbled.

The little boy insisted on taking the particular route through his father’s legs to reach the bottom cabinets beneath the stove.

“I’m getting bows,” Miles said.

Tommy turned to Kim as she brought the butter and eggs over to them.

“ _Bowls,”_ Tommy clarified. Miles was practically inside the cabinet as he clanged the metal containers together. Kim laughed as Tommy stumbled backward.

Miles made his exit the same way he demanded entry, crawling in between Tommy’s legs as he emerged with his bounty in hand.

Miles stood back up to hand off the bowls to Kim.

She took them with a small curtsy, “Thank you, sir.”

Miles bowed with an aggressive nod.

Kim pointed to an upper cabinet in a guess. “Umm, dry ingredients?”

Tommy pointed to the correct one. Kim nodded, opening the door to gab the salt and sugar.

She reached for the flour and baking powder to no avail. Tommy saw Kim’s struggle and moved to assist.

Miles latched onto his calves and stood on Tommy’s feet, clinging to him as the man tried to walk across the kitchen.

“Miles, dude,” Tommy sighed, limping as he dragged the child with him.

Kim laughed as Miles tugged on Tommy’s sweat pants.

“Buddy, Kim needs me to help her grab the high stuff, ok? I need my legs to do that.”

“Pick her up like me, daddy,” Miles said.

Tommy shot him a confused look. “What?”

Miles looked up at Kim. “Daddy pick me up. And then I get high stuff!”

Kim nodded, “Oh, well that’s nice of him, but I’m a bit bigger than you, honey.”

_“Barely,”_ Tommy snickered. Kim shot him a weak glare. Tommy laughed harder.

Miles frowned. “But daddy said you—he help get high stuff.”

Kim nodded, “That’s ok. He can get it for me.”

Miles stomped his foot. “No!” He turned on his father and began an ineffectual onslaught of punches to Tommy’s legs. “Pick her up like me!”

Kim bit her lip to keep from laughing. Miles was technically throwing a tantrum, and as cute as the reason was, it would do no good to seem like she was encouraging him.

Tommy’s eyes went wide. The punches hardly hurt. It was more the grating tone coming from the child.

Tommy bent down and held the boy’s fists. “Hey now, that’s enough.”

Miles wrenched his hands from his father’s grasp. He leaned in and pressed his forehead against the larger man’s. “Daddy! Do it!”

Tommy sighed. He blew a raspberry in the boy’s face and stood back up. Miles laughed as he wiped his face with his sleeve.

“Well, you heard his highness.” Tommy smirked. Miles jumped up and down, pointing to the higher cabinets, beaming and clapping.

Kim glanced over her shoulder as Tommy stood behind her. He cleared his throat as his hands settled on her waist. He hoisted her up as she reached for the elusive jars.

Tommy slid her body down the front of him as he released her. Kim steadied herself as she set the ingredients onto the counter.

Tommy leaned in and whispered into her ear, “I’m not sorry for that,” he said.

“Good,” she whispered back, she backed into him with a playful nudge.

He let out a low growl and squeezed her hips.

“Okay, daddy. Kimbree makes pamckaes now,” Miles said, tugging on his pant leg once again.

Tommy turned on him. Laughing evilly as he scooped the boy up in his arms. Miles laughed hysterically as Tommy flipped him over, snarfing noises into his hair.

“Let’s go get you washed up,” Tommy said, easily tossing and catching the boy like a ball.

Miles laughed, unfazed at being thrown around. “M’ok. Then we umm, we pamcakes!”

Tommy rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. “Yes. Then pamcakes,” he drawled. “Good lord, bud. Is that all you care about?”

“Yep, yep, yep!” Miles chanted, scaling up Tommy’s chest and snaking around the man’s shoulders.

Tommy shook his head in feigned disbelief. “You are a pamcake monster!”

Miles nodded, his butt in Tommy’s face as he crawled onto Tommy’s back. “Yep! I’m want Kimbree’s pamcakes!”

Tommy smirked. “Oh, me too, bud.”

She shot him a warning look as he gave her a wink.

A tiny errant hand smacked him in the face. Tommy laughed as he carried Miles out and down the hall.

Kim snickered. “Kid’s got good aim.” She turned to start on breakfast.

\---x---

Tommy set his fork down over his plate, swallowed his final bite and grabbed his coffee before leaning back in his chair. He sighed contentedly. It was hard not to let his mind wander, watching the scene before him.

Miles chomped away at his slimy pancake, all the while talking Kim’s ear off about dinosaurs. The three of them at the table eating breakfast together.

_Oh, stop it._ He thought to himself. _Are you trying to piss off the volcano?_

He looked up as Kim’s laughter broke his reverie.

“Oh honey, come here,” Kim said. She grabbed a napkin and rushed it to the sink.

Miles laughed with his mouth full as Kim tried to wipe off all the syrup he’d managed to acquire on his face.

“What, you gotta hole in your chin?” She teased the boy, “How do your miss your mouth every time?”

Miles’ giggles made Tommy’s heart soar as Kim playfully shoved the whole napkin in the boy’s face. Miles chomped at the napkin before letting it drop.

“Eww,” Kim feigned being grossed out, tossing another napkin at the boy.

Bits of chewed up dough and syrup slid as the boy continued laughing.

His laughter turned to coughing. Kim’s face dropped as Tommy nearly jumped over the table to come up beside the boy.

Kim and Tommy flanked the toddler as Kim gently tapped Miles on the back.

“Arms up, buddy,” Tommy said. Miles’ eyes were wide with fear as he lifted his arms.

“What should I do?” Kim asked.

“Just—give him another thump.”

Kim gave his back another firm smack. Miles hacked up whatever had gotten stuck, flying out across the table. His tiny face red as he coughed once more. His eyes bleary as Kim wiped up the mess he’d spit out.

“There you go, bud,” Tommy exhaled calmly, grabbing another napkin to wipe the boy’s face. “We got it.”

Tommy rubbed his back soothingly as Kim returned to his other side. She held a straw in place as she presented him his cup of juice.

“Take a slow sip, okay?” Kim instructed.

Miles nodded as he held onto the glass with both hands. Kim kept the straw pinched between her fingers to hold it steady.

Kim nodded as Miles pushed away the cup. The boy looked up at his dad. Tommy smiled and grabbed the boy’s face, placing a firm kiss to his forehead.

Tommy smoothed the hair out of Mile’s face. The boy sniffled and caught his breath.

“You scared me, bud,” Tommy told him.

Miles blinked back at him. “M’sorry.”

Tommy smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. Remember when you asked me why I cried about the baseball game?”

Miles nodded. “You said happy tears.”

Kim laughed softly as Tommy nodded to the boy. “That’s right. And how that was different than about Mommy?”

Miles frowned. Tommy still didn’t know if Miles completely understood the situation between he and Heather. But he figured the boy knew enough to know that his mommy didn’t live with his daddy anymore.

“Sad tears,” Miles answered.

Tommy dared to look back at Kim, a momentary shot of embarrassment at the admission.

She bit her lip and gave him her own sad smile. Tommy looked back at Miles.

“That’s right. So, just now, I was _scared_ you were hurt. _Not mad.”_

Miles nodded. “Not mad.”

Tommy tweaked the boy’s nose. “Not mad.”

Miles smiled and turned to Kim. “You not mad too?”

Kim returned the boy’s smile and leaned into him. “Not mad too.”

Tommy mussed the boy’s hair before bending over to kiss the top of his head.

Miles stood up on the chair, waving for his dad to return to his level. Tommy bent over. The boy clapped both his sticky hands on Tommy’s cheeks and pulled the man’s face directly into his.

Tommy winced as he felt the syrup on his face

“I’m want to watch movie now,” Miles mumbled.

Tommy sighed. “Okay bud, come on.” He lifted the boy from the chair.

Kim moved to clear the table. Tommy grabbed her arm. “I’ll do them later.”

She followed as Tommy led them into the bathroom.

Kim leaned against the frame as Tommy set the boy atop the bathroom sink. He braced him with one hand and turned the faucet with the other.

Kim grabbed the washcloth hanging above the sink and handed it off.

“Thanks,” Tommy said, holding the cloth under the water for a moment.

Miles turned to face her. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she chirped back.

“I’m got surp on me,” Miles explained to her. Tommy shut the water and held the towel at the ready.

“Okay, bud, come here,” Tommy instructed. “Miles, face me, please.”

Miles stuck his hand in his mouth and smiled impishly at Kim.

She pointed back at Tommy, “Look that way, honey.”

Miles shook his head. Tommy grabbed his chin and made him face him, “Bud, eyes on me.”

Miles stayed, still trying to sneak a look sideways as Tommy wiped his cheeks.

Tommy sighed. “Hand out of your mouth, man.”

Miles let it drop as Tommy finished cleaning the boy’s face.

“I know Kim’s hard not to stare at buddy, but we gotta get you cleaned up, ok?”

Kim rolled her eyes. Tommy smiled slyly, looking nearly identical to the little boy. He didn’t need to see her face to know how she’d reacted.

He tossed the towel into the tub and turned the water back on, working a lather of soap onto both his and Miles’ hands.

“Kim, could you grab me another towel? They’re in the closet behind me.”

Tommy shuffled over a step, the narrow passage cramping them in together.

Shutting the real door behind her, Kim moved back to the slender closet panel in the corner and grabbed another towel. She stopped when she saw the monogrammed initials HLO and TJO sewn on the cloth.

Turning tightly in the small space, she managed to slip behind Tommy and took a seat on the toilet.

Miles leaned forward as Tommy helped him rinse his soapy hands with his own.

He shut off the water as Kim held out the cloth. He took it with a grateful smile.

She smirked. “Nice towels.”

He snickered as he dried off his and Miles’ hands.

“They were a wedding gift,” he explained. “Neither of us wanted them but I figured, whatever. A towel’s a towel, right?”

“You could always cut them up and use them for shop rags,” Kim said sweetly.

He turned to her in surprise, “Ooh, mrow,” he growled playfully, “Kitten’s got claws.”

She shrugged innocently. “I’m just saying,”

Miles snarled, mimicking his father’s growls, his hands up like claws.

“Now look what you’ve done.” Kim said.

Tommy laughed and tossed the towel carelessly over her head and into the bathtub as he’d done before.

“Better?” he asked her pointedly. Kim rolled her eyes as she made to stand.

“Movie, movie,” Miles chanted as Tommy set the boy onto the ground.

Kim followed as they turned the corner into Miles’ bedroom.

The toddler ran for the shelves where his tapes were stored.

“Miles, you remember how to put the tape in?” Tommy fluffed up the pillows inside the fort of blankets they’d created from his bed and glanced over his shoulder.

Miles shook his head, holding out the cassette he’d selected.

Tommy sighed and turned to the boy. “What are we watching?”

“Robin Hood.”

“Always a good choice,” Tommy said.

Kim scanned the toddler’s bedroom. A sort of soft, denim blue color graced the walls, decals of dinosaurs placed randomly along the bottom border. Candid snapshots of Miles in his still very brief lifetime hung in various frames. Tommy hadn’t missed any chance to take a photo. Her eyes landed on the small dresser against the opposite wall. A picture of Heather in the hospital, holding onto a newborn Miles sat inside a black frame. Tommy must of have taken the photo, given his absence in the shot. Kim’s heart lurched a bit.

“Okay bud, let’s try this again. First we turn the TV on,” Tommy said.

Miles smacked his hand against the power button as the old set buzzed to life.

“Good, and then what do we do?”

Miles pointed. “Put the tape in the veesar.”

Tommy nodded, and lined the tape up to the VCR slot. “Like this?”

Miles nodded and shoved the cassette with both hands. Tommy gently chided, “Easy, bud. That tape’s older than I am.”

The tape slid into the machine and disappeared behind the flap. In a matter of seconds the slightly warbled title card appeared on screen.

“You did it, buddy. Alright!” Tommy held his hand up as Miles slapped him a high five.

“You watch with me?” Miles asked as Tommy led him back over to his pillow fort.

“Daddy needs to wash the dishes cause somebody made a mess this morning.”

Miles looked up at him nervously. “Oh no!”

Kim laughed, catching Miles’ attention. “Kimbree you watch movie with me?”

“You get started bud,” Tommy cut in, “We’ll be back in a minute, okay?”

Miles rolled his entire head and collapsed against a large orange cushion inside his sanctuary.

Tommy shook his head at the boy’s dramatic reaction and headed for the door.

“He’ll be out in the first ten minutes,” He laughed, moving his way back to the kitchen.

She took one last look at the little boy before turning back to follow Tommy.

He was at the sink when she reentered the kitchen, a stack of dirty dishes beside him.

“I take back everything I said before,” she said. She bussed the cups and mugs. “It’s barely two. I totally get feeling worn out.”

She set the cups on the counter. “I don’t know how you do it.”

“I don’t either sometimes.” They shared a laugh. Tommy set another scrubbed plate into the right hand sink.

He glanced over as Kim took the dish without a word and dried it off with a towel before nestling it into the drying rack.

“So, did you and Heather—was this like, your house together?”

He smiled as he ran the sponge along a dish. “Yes and no. I bought this place when I got the teaching job, so before we started dating. And she had her own place up near Sacramento. After we got married she wanted to live there but because I was the one working while she was pregnant, we stayed here. So, this place wasn’t bought with her in mind but, yeah we lived here together for a bit.”

Kim nodded, “So is any of this inside her handiwork? I know your mom did the guest room but—“

“Oh god no. This is _all_ my mom.” He snickered. “My stuff is everywhere but, mom either moves it when she thinks I’m not looking, or just tells me she’s changing it.”

Kim giggled. “That’s sweet of you to let her do that.”

_“Let her_? I have no say in this. I’m lucky my whole house doesn’t look like a bed and breakfast by now. One day, I swear I’m gonna come home and everything’s just gonna be gone.”

Kim laughed. “Switched out for wicker and gingham—”

He laughed. “Lace curtains and patchwork—“

Kim feigned in delight. “Ope, and a little sign that says like, _This kitchen is made for dancing_ —“

He was crying he was laughing so hard. Kim smiled as he handed off the last few dishes, drying them tenderly as she set everything into their slots.

Tommy shut the faucet. Kim turned to him with the towel unfurled and dried his hands off for him. He had a far off look but was smiling. She folded up the towel neatly and hung it over the drying rack.

She waved a hand in front of his face. “You ok?”

He shook off his daze and looked back at her. “I didn’t—this has been nice.”

“What has?”

“This,” he motioned between them. “I was hoping we’d get along like this again.”

He gave her a playful punch in the shoulder. “And seeing you with Miles is just—it’s like you’ve always been around.”

Kim leaned against the counter next to him. “Well, he’s taking his cue from you.”

He looked at her, “You think?”

She nodded. “Of course. You welcomed me in without hesitation, why wouldn’t he, right?”

Tommy frowned. “What about the other day when he just ran up to you and said _hi_? He just marched right over to you and made his mind up. _I like her. She’s pretty.”_

Kim laughed and nudged him with her hip. “What can I say? Like father, like son.”

He snickered. He turned to hover over her, trapping her between his body and the counter. His arms braced on either side. He smiled.

“I like you. You’re pretty,” he whispered.

“I like you too—” she whispered back.

His head dropped down to meet hers, their breath mingling in the nearness of their mouths.

“You don’t have to call me pretty,” he said huskily.

“Okay,” she breathed.

His lips were on hers in a second. His arms encircled her waist, hoisting her up as her legs wrapped around him. They were both vaguely aware of the slight rattle against the collection of dishes behind them. Didn’t matter. Nothing broken? Good.

She snaked her hands behind his neck as he stumbled to lead them through the archway, their mouths refusing to relinquish their discovery of the other. They spilled into the living room, him knocking his leg against where he though the couch should be before falling onto it, Kim pulling him down along the way. He propped himself above her, enough to keep from crushing her beneath his weight. She craned her neck up and pulled his face back down to hers. Their lips crashed together once more in frenzied and excitable swipes. He nipped at her bottom lip with his teeth. She sucked on his. Their tongues swirled about, teasing and dancing inside one another’s mouths. They ripped away for another quick moment to catch their breath.

“God, I missed you,” he panted, coming back to kiss her jaw and down her neck.

She threw her head back into the couch arm as she arched into his kisses. “I missed you too.”

He lifted her shirt to expose her stomach, his mouth peppering kisses along her happy trail. He lifted the shirt further to expose her breasts and lapped at the rounded flesh lazily before latching onto a nipple and sucking. His left hand stroked her thigh before stopping for a moment at the waistband of her shorts. He teased her as his finger traced the edge.

Her hips bucked as he tugged at the elastic. He released her breast and returned to placing a path of kisses down her stomach until his face met her heat. He sat back and pulled at her shorts. She lifted her hips to help him. He only got the shorts and underwear far enough down for her to spread her legs before his mouth quickly landed on her mound. He flattened his tongue and ran it up the length of her center.

She gasped and clutched his hair, pulling him back for another kiss. She bruised his mouth with her own.

She reached between them and fussed with his pants. He propped up on one elbow so he could free up his other hand to help her get his pants down.

His hard shaft bounced out of its confines, lightly thumping against her stomach. She reached for it as he lifted himself up, helping her to guide his member into her.

He ran the tip along her slick center easing himself in. She grunted as he smirked. She grabbed a firm hand around him and pumped him for a moment, every time pulling him into her a bit more.

He slid the rest of the way. She cupped his bare ass to push him harder into her. They both groaned as their bodies adjusted to the sensation. It was tight and hard and at a weird angle the way they were splayed across the couch, but it felt so fucking good.

He pulled out slowly before thrusting back into her. Kim whimpered as he repeated the motion again and again.

He grunted in satisfaction, his breathing laboring with every push. She swirled her hips around as he ground against her. Her nails dug into his backside and he hissed, stabbing her with a punctuated thrust.

“Oh god,” she moaned, aimlessly rubbing and clawing at his back. His arms started to buckle and he flexed to lock them down.

“Faster,” she breathed. “Faster.” He pumped harder.

“Jesus, Fuck, Kim,” he muttered.

“Daddy!”

They stopped cold. His head immediately fell onto Kim’s shoulder.

_“Oh fuck me,”_ he groaned pitifully into her skin.

“Daddy can you come here!” Miles whined from down the hall.

Tommy lazily moved his head to the side, “I swear to God, that kid better be bleeding from his eyeballs…”

Kim laughed into his shoulder. The sensation sent a shiver up his spine. He moved his mouth to whisper in her ear. “Oh god, Kim, don’t laugh, I’m still inside you.”

“Daddy I’m scared!”

He tore his face away and lifted his head a bit, “O-Ok buddy. Umm—”

He looked back at her. “Damn it. Kim, I’m hard as a rock I can’t walk in on my son like this—“

She smiled up at him and brought her right hand up to smooth out his brow.

“It’s okay, you just—get yourself—I’ll go, yeah?”

He nodded but made no attempt to move as Kim cleared her throat and called out to the boy.

“Hey, Miles, honey? Your dad has to go to the bathroom, can I help instead?”

“Okay...” Miles sang out.

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Tommy sighed and kissed her. “Thank you,” he said.

She smiled and whispered, “It’s fine, we’ll finish this later.”

He shot her a glare. “I should hope so.”

Kim moaned and shot him a warning look when he twisted his hips into her one more time.

He looked down at her, serious as ever. “If he woke up just in time for that one scene, I swear to—he’s seen this movie a thousand times, he knows the rabbit makes it—”

Miles called out again. “Kimbree are you coming?”

Tommy sighed. _“She was about to, you tiny bastard_.” He collapsed on top of Kim once more.

They both laughed. His shaft still half inside her, sprawled clumsily on the couch while his three-year old son needed soothing down the hall.

He reluctantly pulled away, groaning as he sat up painfully. His erection still throbbing as he carefully made to stand. Kim sat up once freed from Tommy’s weight, pulling up her drawers and shorts once more before straightening out the rest of her appearance as best she could.

She looked over at him as he walked bow-legged toward his bedroom door.

She reassured him quietly. “You know, it could have been worse. He could have walked in on us.”

He turned to her before he reached the knob, “Meet me in the shower in ten?”

Kim bit her lip and nodded. He smiled goofily before disappearing behind his bedroom door.

She shook her head with a laugh and made her way down the hall toward Miles.

\---x---

Miles had officially fallen asleep for an afternoon nap. Satisfied he was down for the count for at least another hour, Kim and Tommy reunited in the shower.

Kim laid on her back, Tommy’s spare robe she wore splayed haphazardly around her as he laid on his side, spooning along the length of her as his right hand lazily danced about her smooth skin. Mindlessly tracing random shapes up and down her stomach, along her sides, up into the curve of her breasts.

It felt good. To have the weight, the warmth of another body next to him again. And for it to be Kim, well…he hadn’t expected any of this—hoped for it, perhaps—but it certainly made it that much better.

“I love your arms,” she said, following the curves and valleys created by his muscles.

“Oh yeah?” He already knew that. But it never hurt to hear it again.

“I mean, you were always muscular,” she mused, “But now you’re like, _beefy.”_

He smiled into her neck and placed a soft kiss there, “You like it?”

Kim gave a small snort, “Yeah, like, a lot.”

He propped himself up on his left elbow to face her better. “Well you,” he started, bowing his head to kiss between her breasts, “Are every bit as sexy as I remember.”

He moved the plush fabric out of his way to kiss her stomach. “But it’s still better somehow…”

Kim laughed as his breath tickled her skin. “Cause I’m an adult now and I know what I’m doing?”

He laughed and pulled himself up to meet her face. “Well, yes there’s that,” he said.

“I’m not even gonna ask about the blowjob in the shower, it’ll just piss me off.”

Kim laughed as he fell onto his back beside her. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have slept with other people since we dated.”

“Well I haven’t,” he teased. “Heather had Miles through immaculate conception.”

Kim snickered. The mention of Heather knocked a little wind out of her sails. But she’d been curious to hear more about his relationship with the woman. Now seemed as good a segue as ever.

“What happened with her?”

Tommy turned his head to face Kim, “What do you mean? We already talked about it at dinner, didn’t we? Like, _why_ we got divorced or—“

“Yeah but that was like, recently,” she said. “I meant before now. How’d you meet? When did you get married? When did you decide to have kids? All of it.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You really want to know?”

Kim nodded. “The other night was the first time we’ve talked in over ten years. I only found out about your divorce a few months ago from Trini. Hell, I only found out about your _marriage_ at Trini’s wedding!”

He nodded. “I know. I’m sorry I left you out of my life for so long I just—” he sighed.

“At first, I didn’t know _how_ to include you. And then as more time passed it felt kinda dumb, ya know? Like, why would I keep you posted when I never saw you?”

Kim turned to face him better. “It’s okay, I get it…”

She ran her hand along his jaw and down his throat. His adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke.

“But we were better friends than that. I should have kept in touch.”

Kim shrugged. “I didn’t really make much of an effort either.”

She slowed her hand, splaying it across his chest. He brought his own hand up and rested it on top of hers.

Kim smirked. “So, spill it.”

Tommy closed his eyes for a moment. “Kat set me up with Heather right after you and I broke up.”

Kim’s eyes widened. “Oh wow. So, you’ve known her for a long time?”

“I _met_ her a long time ago.” He clarified. “Billy and Kat took me skiing—just to like, take my mind off of— _everything.”_

Kim made a noncommittal grunt.

He spared her a glance. “Are you sure you want to know all of this?”

She rolled her eyes. “You can maybe gloss over the parts about _me_ _being an idiot_.”

He smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her hand before resting against his chest once more.

“So, Billy and Kat took me skiing cause my heart was shattered to a million pieces—“

Kim shoved him and pulled her hand away, “You’re an asshole,” she groaned.

He laughed and pulled her hand back. “I’m just kidding. _Kind of_. ”

He was still laughing. She shot him a dirty look.

He smiled. “Anyway, Heather was this big-shot skiing champion, right? Well, we kind of just bumped into each other one day and hit it off. She offered to show me the slopes, and it felt like something might happen, but, I didn’t—I couldn’t trust what I was feeling. Kat and Billy told her a bit about our break up—and I was pissed at first cause, the last thing I needed was pity, ya know?”

“That’s—yeah…”

She wanted to commiserate about Mark, but the fear of distracting Tommy held her off. She was too curious about Heather to stop now. She settled for nodding instead.

“Kat thought she was being a good friend. She set up this whole romantic dinner date for me and Heather. It was a complete disaster. Zordon and Alpha kept calling us in and I had to bail out over and over again, but I couldn’t tell her why, _naturally_ , and she got pissed and basically told me to go fuck myself.”

“Not that I would even know what that was like but,” Kim frowned. “It was hard to date outside of the team back then, wasn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t know either,” Tommy smirked, “But yeah. That whole mess was kind of how _Kat and I_ started dating…”

Kim snickered. “Well, I’m glad Kat was there to pick up the pieces.”

Tommy laughed. “Are you trying to turn me on?”

“Me getting jealous does it for ya, huh?”

He leaned over and snuck a kiss. “Kind of.”

She smiled beneath his lips. “Go on…you and Kat, blah blah blah, How’d you reconnect with Heather?”

He rolled back over and sat up a bit higher in the bed, propping a pillow behind him. Kim scooted herself up into his arms, resting her head on his chest.

He draped his left arm over her and absently played with the robe covering her body.

“Heather and I ran into each other by chance. When I started working at the high school. I got asked to chaperone the sophomore skiing trip and we headed up to Mt. Shasta for the weekend. She was the skiing instructor. I guess meeting again under similar circumstances, it—I don’t know, _rekindled_ something. Like we’d been given a do-over, I guess.”

Kim snorted indelicately, “We should all be so lucky…”

Tommy smiled. “We had been dating for about a year when she got pregnant with Miles. She was not… _entirely happy_ about that. So I proposed, thought maybe she’d feel differently about having the kid if we were married. I mean—this is what we were heading toward anyway, right? It just all came a bit out of order and faster than we thought it would.”

Kim sat up. “Wait, so Miles wasn’t planned?”

Tommy gave her a bashful smile, “No. Having Miles definitely changed things.”

“How so?”

Tommy shrugged, “She had to put her skiing career on hold. Which, as she had made _very clear,_ she’d never wanted to do. And then after Miles was born, I kept working and she stayed home and took care of the baby.”

He shook his head. “I think it was a bit of a culture shock. I tried to help her, where I could. We tried to get things back to normal but everything became a fight. She thought the gang hated her, and _why didn’t we ever hang out with her friends?_ When she said she was exhausted, I asked my mom for help. That pissed her off even more. We completely stopped having sex. She thought having the baby had wrecked her body and that I didn’t find her sexy anymore. But every time I tried she—she didn’t want to risk getting pregnant again. It got to the point where I couldn’t even look at her without feeling guilty.”

Kim watched him as his thoughts clouded his features. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled sharply.

“It sounds like there was a lot of … _resentment_ ,” Kim said carefully.

“Yeah, I think there was,” He snickered. “Crazy thing is, there’s a part of me that understands why. She’d dedicated her whole life to skiing and she had all these sponsorships and commercial deals that she had to give up or turn down—“

Kim sat up and held up her hand. “Hold on. It’s ridiculous for her to have blamed you _alone_.”

She had some experience in this matter. Tommy was hardly a saint, but he was undoubtedly one of the most admirably selfless people she’d ever known. He would never want to stand in the way. His encouragement is what drove her to leave for the Pan Globals in the first place. He effectively let her go so she could pursue her own aspiration. He let Kat go so she could fulfill hers too. For Heather to even insinuate—it was enough to drive Kim crazy.

She seethed, feeling personally affronted. “I’m sorry, but as a professionally athlete, if you don’t want to get pregnant or get others pregnant, and if doing so _really would_ jeopardize your career like that, there are _plenty_ of precautions you can take.”

He smiled at her ire. He liked feisty Kim. Not only for the way her anger helped him assuage his guilt, but because it reminded him of how she’d always been just as protective of him as he was of her.

“Damn, where were you at my divorce hearings?”

Kim snorted, “And also, _Hello_! You weren’t some random guy at a bar, you were her _boyfriend._ If you guys weren’t using birth control, what did she think was going to happen?”

Tommy’s face contorted suddenly, giving Kim a worried look. She waved a hand to dismiss him.

“I’m on the pill, we’re fine,” she grumbled. He audibly sighed, grateful she’d caught his intent. She clucked her tongue and held up her chin in disdain.

“Unlike some people, I _know_ the consequences of _my_ actions.”

Tommy whistled. “Wow. You _really_ don’t like her, do you?”

Kim gave him an incredulous look, “Had no reason to until the other day. Barely knew her to hate her, _except for obvious reasons_.”

He smirked. “I like this side of you.”

She rolled her eyes, “Yeah well, can you blame me? All those not-so-subtle jabs…”

Tommy sighed. “I told myself I’d stop making excuses for Heather after we were separated but, in fairness, you gotta know that was all just ego, right?”

Kim scoffed. “How?”

“She’s threatened by you, Kim,” he laughed, “She always has been.”

“Again I ask, how? This was the second time we’d met!”

Tommy smiled in surrender. “Ah, but not the second time you’ve come up in conversation….”

Kim frowned at that. She probably could have guessed that. Kim might have fallen out of touch with Tommy, but that didn’t mean the rest of their friends had. And he and Heather had been together since before Trini and Jason started having their summer hangouts, it stood to reason that the woman had heard about her. If not from Tommy himself, then definitely one of the gang.

Heather knew Kim and Tommy had dated, he’d told her as much. To what great detail, that was uncertain. But the woman’s calculated remarks left little room for interpretation.

“It pisses me off that she apparently knows all these things about me and I know virtually nothing about her.” Kim said.

Tommy shook his head. “You know all you need to know about Heather, believe me. And anything you don’t, I’m happy to tell you. But you gotta know, everything that was ever said about you was always positive. _Which was clearly the problem.”_

Kim had the good grace to look bashful at that. He smiled and ran his fingers along her cheek.

“As Heather got to know more of our friends, you came up a lot, naturally. But then after the baby, and when she and I started fighting—I know Jason was just being protective but—sometimes he can come off as an asshole.”

Kim snickered as Tommy went on, his hand dropping to rest on hers once more.

“She knew we had dated but—well, basically, Jason poked the bear. He made some stupid comments in front of Heather about me and you and it pissed her off. So we got into this huge argument where she grilled me about all the details of our relationship. So I told her everything I thought was fit to print. And I guess after hearing it all she’d decided that I was still too... _sentimental_ about you.”

Kim snickered, “What about Kat? She had no problem with Kat?”

Tommy chuckled. “Heather was actually excited to see Kat again at first. When she found out Kat and I dated, _then_ she got kind of nasty. Heather’s always been a bit jealous, come to think of it, even when there was no need to be. But she had more opportunity to see me with Kat over the years. See there was nothing going on. And then of course, after Kat got together with Billy, she completely backed off. _But with you,_ well—all she had was what she heard and her own imagination I guess….”

Kim couldn’t help but laugh, “I just—I just don’t get it. Like, even if you did talk about me _fondly_ or whatever, I wasn’t there. I was _literally_ not there. How was I a threat to this woman?”

Tommy shrugged. “Heather was always so confident everywhere else. Like, cocky almost. It was super hot, actually. When we met, she had this huge crowd of fans surrounding her. And she stopped for me. I mean, I accidentally bumped into her but—she was so cool and like, easy-going about it. She smiled and excused herself to talk to me. We joked about how she should start wearing a disguise. I was a bit star-struck. I don’t usually get like that, ya know? I mean, maybe if I met like, Bruce Lee or something but—I don’t usually care how famous someone is.”

Kim knew this to be true. Tommy was never one to gush at stardom. But it also drove her a bit batty how naïve he could be sometimes. As if his wonderment toward Heather had been about celebrity. The man had been a superhero for so long, she worried he sometimes forgot he was still human. _And a man,_ at that.

“And then she like, _dared_ me to go skiing with her,” he laughed. “Like I was any competition. We stopped at a ridge at one point, just to check out the view. I don’t know, we had a moment and then it was gone. I got nervous, told her why, and she shut down after that. And then when he tried to have our date, that was enough to pick her back up, I guess. But then after all the false starts she just, well like I said. I didn’t hear from her again. It was basically the same when we started dating. She liked to act like she was more carefree than she actually was. Or maybe she was and I somehow spoiled that. I don’t know. She didn’t always avoid talking about serious stuff—but whenever I’d even mention my past relationships she just—she’d just kind of short circuit.”

Kimberly poked a playfully accusing finger into his chest. “I thought you said you liked women acting all jealous?”

He laughed and caught the offending finger and pulled her in closer. “I said I liked it when _you_ did it.”

Kim shook her head knowingly, “Is _this_ how you talked about me with Heather? Cause I’m starting to see what gave her the wrong idea…”

He smirked, “No. I think what we’re doing right now was what she was always worried about.”

He caught her chin in his hand, bringing his lips in to meet hers. The kiss was soft for a moment, sweet pecks and slow brushes against each other’s mouths. Kimberly’s tongue darted out and pried his mouth open wider. He happily accepted it, rolling his along hers as he sucked on her mouth.

She sat up on her knees, neither breaking their embrace, and climbed onto his lap before sitting down to straddle him.

He sat up, his left hand splayed across her back to hold her steady and his right hand moved to push the robe off her shoulder.

He broke away to catch his breath and bent his head to kiss her neck and the bare skin he’d just uncovered.

His right hand came up to cup her breast, kneading the soft round with long nimble fingers before dipping his head down further to flick her nipple with his tongue.

Kim mewled softly as his tongue went to work on her other breast, his right hand still massaging and groping while his left hand remained fastened tightly to her back.

“What _are w_ e doing right now?”

Her hands flew to his head as he bathed her with his tongue, her fingers raking through his hair.

“I don’t know,” he panted, pushing her gently onto her back, his mouth trailing to her stomach.

“Me either,” she laughed breathily as his tongue dipped into her belly button before dragging the wet muscle slowly back up the length of her torso.

He climbed up her body to meet her face to face once more. Her hands came up to cup his face and pulled his mouth down onto hers.

He kept himself propped up on his left arm while his right hand brushed against her side.

She shivered as his hand snaked in between them before his fingers landed near the soft downy curls. He turned his hand over and ran his knuckles lightly over the top of her heat.

She broke the kiss as her breath hitched. He dragged his hand over her inner thigh and teased her, his hands grazing her center, but never fully touching it.

He massaged the muscles of her thighs firmly, kneading the skin with deliberate pulls.

“God, I can’t stop touching you,” he gasped, lowering himself once again and kissing her inner thighs. He buried his nose in her curls, inhaling the musky scent of her arousal and placed a kiss, allowing his tongue to sneak out just a bit.

She bit her lip as her hips bucked into his mouth. He laughed and flattened his tongue, dragging it roughly over her nether lips. He continued to massage her folds with his tongue, long flat licks, then back in again with short quick darts.

“Oh…” she mewled softly.

He latched onto her clit again, kissing and sucking at the nub while his tongue made tiny circles.

She grabbed the sides of his head, and he let her, undeterred as he continued to penetrate with his tongue. He dipped in hard and deep, keeping his tongue as flat as he could.

Kim inhaled and she licked her lips. Her throat was going dry as she panted along to Tommy’s ministrations. “Oh, god…Tommy….”

She fisted his hair in her hands, the stubble on his chin adding to the scratchy sensation as his tongue lapped hungrily away.

She gritted her teeth, her eyelids fluttering as her walls throbbed with every lick of his wet muscle against her. “Oh god…oh yeah…yeah…”

“Oh, fuck, god, yes…”

She bucked again reflexively, sharp pulses radiated from her apex up her spine.

She was right on the edge. The beginnings of that telltale ripple emerged. His left hand splayed across her lower abdomen as she convulsed, orgasm tearing through her.

Her arms dropped dumbly from his head, rolling mindlessly to her sides.

She licked her lips and swallowed hard. Tommy kissed her inner thigh, wiping his face against her skin. He crawled back up to face her once more. Her eyes were screwed shut as he hovered above her, ghosting his lips lightly over her face and back down to her neck.

  
She blindly reached a hand up to massage his scalp as he nuzzled her ear with his nose.

“You ok?” he smirked into her hair, leaning back onto his side to watch her.

She sat back up and swung her legs to dangle off the side of the bed. “I’m actually kind of dizzy.”

She made to stand. _Nope._ Her traitorous legs buckled as she collapsed back onto the mattress.

Tommy smiled and turned onto his back, his hands self-satisfyingly resting behind his head.

She shot him a scowl. “You can wipe that smug smile off your face _anytime_.”

He grinned wolfishly. “Why would I? Look at yourself right now. Do you know what this is doing for my ego?”  
  


She rolled her eyes and fell back onto the bed. “Shut up.”

She turned to face him, nestling into his side. He brought a hand down to drape over her back, idly playing with the ends of her hair.

She mumbled into his chest. “Do I wanna know how you got so good at that?”

He laughed. “Well, I’m an adult now and I know what I’m doing.”

She shoved him halfheartedly as kissed her hair.

“If it helps, I _really_ like going down on you,” he said.

Kim buried her face even further. “God, hearing you talk like that weirds me out.”

Her head snapped up to look at him. “17 year-old Tommy would _never_ have talked liked that.”

He craned his neck to look at her. “Of course he didn’t,” he said. “I could barely _kiss_ you without coming right then and there.”

Kim’s face scrunched up in embarrassment, “Oh my god,” she mumbled.

He just kept laughing. “It’s true. Just holding your hand made me want to explode.”

She tossed herself onto her back and covered a hand over her face.

“Yeah well, you didn’t always _act_ that bashful. But you definitely couldn’t _talk_ about it like you do now.”

He shrugged, returning his hands behind his head.

“There’s no point in being embarrassed by any of it anymore. I’ve watched a woman give birth. _Nothing_ is as graphic or explicit as _that.”_

Kim turned her head to look at him and smiled, “What was that like?”

He smiled, staring out absently as he recalled the memory.

“It was gross. It took forever. It was scary. And it was awesome. All sorts of thoughts ran through my head. Panic not the least of which but, then when you see the head start to come out? And then the tiny hands? Oh, forget it! _Everyone’s_ crying. Heather was sobbing, from exhaustion, mostly—but relief too, I suppose. And the baby’s of course crying, this bloodcurdling scream that would normally send you off a cliff but—and then _I’m crying_ from adrenaline and fear and joy…”

Kim sniffled, a teary smile plastered to her face as she watched him. He looked back at her and wiped away the tears with his thumb.

“Hey,” he whispered, “Now why are _you_ crying?”

She shook her head, “I just—I just really liked your story…”

He laughed. “Happy tears?”

She gave an indelicate chuckle as her tears kept falling. “And sad ones too, I guess.”

They fell silent for a minute. Each consumed by their own thoughts, the dreams and wishes they’d kept tucked away for so long, each believing that the things they’d wanted in their youth were no longer up for grabs.

He gave her a small smile. “Can I admit something to you?”

She nodded.

He tucked a hair behind her ear. “You know how I said all sorts of things ran through my head?”

She swallowed a lump in her throat, suddenly wondering just how risky of a confession Tommy was about to make.

He licked his lips and let out a shaky breath. Apparently Kim wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

“I thought about—what it would have been like if—“

Kim shook her head and laid a hand to his cheek. “Stop,” she whispered gently.

He looked back at her, his eyes darting back and forth between her own, searching for something.

His voice cracked. He asked, more to himself, “God, why did we wait so long?”

She knew what he meant. If they had maybe reconnected earlier, made amends or… Kim shook her head. She didn’t know why either.

Kim sat back. His eyes were brimming.

“My life is—“ he sighed. “Sometimes I think— _we_ could have—“

She wiped at his tears with her thumb.

“I know, “she nodded. “I know but— _Miles,_ is amazing!”

Tommy choked on his sobs, a small smile creeping onto his face. Kim smiled back, tears now forming in her own eyes.

She ran her hand gently across his features again, “He is _amazing,”_ she hit her point harder, “and you wouldn’t have had him with me.”

He swallowed thickly as he stared back at her, letting her words hit him.

“As hard as it is to admit, Heather is part of why Miles is so wonderful,” she said. “I would never want you to lose that…”

He coughed out a small laugh as his tears fell unbidden. She smiled back at him, bleary eyed as well.

They stared back at one another for a moment longer.

He loved that kid. And he knew Kim was right. Like it or not, Heather was a part of him.

Kim sighed as he snuggled into her. He shut his eyes contentedly as she massaged his scalp. Her nails raking up the back of his neck and playing with the dark chocolate spikes atop his head. They stayed like this for a moment, the profundity of all they’d said just now lingered in between, as if another body lay there with them.

Finally, the tension ebbed, and the uninvited party dissipated, though neither broke the silence right away.

Kim studied him as she watched her fingers comb through the tufts of his shorn locks. Each pass loosened the curls that naturally grew, the ones he often straightened and styled with gel.

“I thought I would miss your long hair more but—“ she brushed her fingers through again. “This suits the adult you…”

His lashes fluttered as he remained completely pacified by her ministrations. He smiled ruefully when he thought about her words.

“That was Heather’s suggestion, to cut it.”

Kimberly snapped her hand back in an instant, sneering as the tranquil moment vanished. “Never mind. I miss your long hair.”

He laughed in spite of the disruption to his peace, Kim’s light laughter easing any worry that his comment had truly ruined the mood.

“I’m just kidding“ She returned to stroking his head, “I really do like it. _Good call, Heather…”_

He snickered. “Guess not all of her ideas sucked.”

Kim snorted and bent down to kiss his temple.  
  


He smiled as he rolled onto his back. Kim settled down beside him.

“So, what do we tell everyone?”

He looked over at her. “What? You mean about us?”

Kim nodded.

He sighed. “I really don’t want everyone to know our business.”

Kim bit her lip. “Me either. Not—not right now anyway…”

She curled up against him, his arm folding around her.

“So, I guess we just play it cool for now?” He said.

She looked up at him, a sudden spark of mischief in her eye. “And then we come back here and all bets are off?”

He smirked. “Deal.”

\--x--


	7. Locked Out

Everyone knew about Tommy and Kim.

The couple had never been particularly subtle. Not when it came to each other.

Even back before they’d started dating.

Like the time Kim needed help constructing her model float for the Peace Parade. She could have asked any of her friends. And any one of them would happily have volunteered. But Tommy was the first to offer, and Kim made no move to ask anyone else. Would the project go faster with six people? Of course. But was it more thrilling to have a legitimate excuse to be alone with Tommy? As fifteen year-old Kim would say, _like, duh._

Or the time he’d offered to help her run lines for the school play. Despite the fact that Jason and Zack were actually in the show with her, and Tommy knew nothing about theatre.

Or the time he’d needed help in Spanish. Trini was proficient in nearly four languages, Spanish among them. Kim took French.

Or at Homecoming, when Kim had insisted on wearing her hair in an elaborate braided updo for the event.

Actually, that one may have been justified. Tommy’s own hair was nearly the same length as Kim’s at the time. And he was no stranger to the ways of styling and managing all of it. But nevertheless, rather than consulting her girlfriends, or going to a salon, Kim happily agreed to let him test his skills.

So for all that their friends needled them about the flirting, all the henpecked comments insinuating that they loved each other but just couldn’t admit it, you’d think someone would have noticed how much time they’d been spending apart.

They were overcompensating, sure. Maintaining a comfortable distance so as not to rouse any suspicions that their summer romance had taken a very significant turn.

It wasn’t easy. Pretending like they weren’t going home at the end of every night, a mess of tangled, sweaty limbs and besotted smiles amidst forsaken clothing in favor of scattered bed sheets.

A part of them adored the rush of acting nonchalant amongst their friends. It kept it special, their own little secret.

But it was also, individually, a safeguard. Less even from the inevitable gossip the affair would engender, and more so to protect their own pride. In the event their tryst inexplicably took a bad turn, at least they hadn’t touted it as something greater than it was.

Sharing a secret gives it legs, momentum. It gives away the power to control what happens to it. The more people that know, the less it becomes your own. Until one day you don’t even recognize it anymore. Like an existential game of telephone, the final translation garbled. It’s original meaning rendered into nonsense.

So for now, it was best to play it as close to the chest as they could. Though goodness knows, that may have always been the problem. The heart was just too near for that strategy to ever really work.

_Scott Residence  
_ _Saturday, June 30 th, 8:41pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Of all the times for Tanya to go into labor. The cocktail party Trini had agreed to host for her colleagues had been planned for months in advance. It was a great opportunity for her personal friends to meet her work friends. But there was little time for Trini to back out now. Especially since everyone was already there.

So when Adam called around eight this evening, an hour into the mix, half of the gang had abandoned the party. Rocky and Kat had to go, as the nominated Godparents. And Aisha and Billy wanted to support their significant others. Zack had a date that evening, and had never planned to attend the party in the first place.

All that remained were Tommy and Kim. Which now begged the question, if the group’s presence this evening mightn’t have diffused some of the ridiculousness that ensued.

“Rob Stetson, this is my best friend, Kimberly Hart. Kimberly, this is Rob. He works with me in the marketing department.”

“Hi, Kimberly, pleasure to meet you. Trini’s told me a lot about you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Rob. Trini has never mentioned you before.”

They shared a laugh. Kim glared at Trini through her smile. Trini mouthed a sheepish _Sorry_ at her and backed away as gracefully as possible.

Rob chuckled. He felt the tension from the woman, the glare she’d thrown her friend not as subtle as she thought. Or perhaps she hadn’t meant it to be. But he hoped that he could charm her out of any sense of apprehension.

“So, Kim—can I call you Kim?”

She rolled her eyes and flashed him a smile. “Sure, why not?”

It was needless to be mad at Trini for too long. Rob was attractive. And he seemed to understand that she had been set up just now. But she wasn’t going home with him. It wouldn’t hurt to talk and indulge the man for an hour or two.

Jason looked at his friend expectantly. “So, how did it go?

The galley doors that closed the kitchen from the den were opened. Separated by an island that allowed a view into both rooms. Jason had installed them when they’d first moved in. He and Trini enjoyed entertaining, and it also gave them better access to the children should their attention ever need be split.

Right now though, the kids were safely in their room. And Jason wondered if it mightn’t have been better that they’d shut the doors before the party. _Ya know, in case the adults starting acting like his two year-olds._

Tommy stared into the den, watching some tall, dark and stupid guy hit on Kim. His nostrils flared as he lifted his drink to take another sip of his beer, shooting daggers above the rim of his cup.

“How did what go?” Tommy said distractedly.

Jason blinked. “With Rebecca? I saw you two finally talking earlier.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Rebecca’s great,” Tommy said, his face falling into a scowl as he saw Kimberly laugh and put her hand on tall guy’s forearm.

“Yeah, she’s been asking about you ever since she saw your picture. You know that shot from my wedding? It’s on the shelf in my off—anyway, did you guys have a good talk?”

Jason was as skeptical as Trini was about inviting someone under the pretense of setting them up with one of their friends. But after Trini had let slip that Rob would be coming to the party after all, Jason tried to even the score by inviting his colleague, Rebecca. She worked across the hall from him. She was savvy, charming, financially independent, and thoroughly curious about Jason’s handsome, single friend.

Jason knew it was a long shot, though he supposed no more than the Matt Bomer clone Trini had summoned. Rebecca was a very nice girl, and attractive enough to be tempting. Long, red wavy hair, tall, a body conditioned by yoga. Like a young Lauren Holly, since they’d been trading in comparisons.

“Uh huh.” Tommy said. “Who’s that guy Kim’s talking to?”

Jason sighed. He didn’t need to look. “Some guy Trini works with. Thought he and Kim would hit it off.”

Tommy fingers tensed, his cup crushing under the pressure.

Jason snickered. “You ok?”

Jason promised not to meddle. But he wasn’t blind. He knew Kim and Tommy liked each other. All signs gave away their hand, though nothing had been officially announced. And if the presence of a sudden rival might spur his moony-eyed friends into action, Jason figured so much the better.

Besides, this was still all conjecture. And even if it wasn’t, setting them up didn’t guarantee a thing. And neither Kim nor Tommy had given any indication there would be a problem. The whole evening could end up a boring nonissue.

Tommy released the cup, trying to pop the dented plastic back into shape. “I’m great. Yep. Totally. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Jason eyed him carefully. _Okay, so maybe there was a slight problem._

Kim’s laughter rang out from across the room. The smooth blue-eyed devil wrapped an arm around Kim’s shoulders. She slipped out of the embrace, but the damage appeared to be done.

“I think I need a stronger drink,” Tommy muttered, the plastic still crackling as he stalked into the living room.

Jason watched him leave. “Or a stronger cup...”

_Okay, so there was definitely a problem._

\---x---

This was the last pass Trini had made through the house. The muffled shouting that had started in the last half hour coming from the kitchen was enough to draw unnecessary looks as she tried in vain to bid her guests a dignified farewell. She smiled blithely as she shut the front door behind the final visitor. She spun on her heels, a prime selection of her favorite curses at the ready to ream the yelling perpetrators.

Trini barreled through the doorway. Jason paced before the counter as Tommy sighed. His hands buried in his pockets.

Trini looked to both of them. “What the hell is going on in here?”

Jason glared at Tommy, motioning for him to go ahead and speak.

“Go ahead and tell her,” Jason dared.

Tommy opened his mouth.

“He and Kim are sleeping together, “ Jason supplied.

Jason turned to take care of the dishes he had started once the party had begun to end. He shook his head indignantly, staring dumbly as he focused on the panels of the galley doors above the sink. _Now_ they were closed. They should have shut them hours ago.

Tommy glared at Jason’s back.

Trini eyed them wildly. She stepped further into the room and looked to Tommy.

“How long has this been going on?”

Jason spun around, “Since the other—“ Trini raised her hand to stop him.

“Hey. Either shut up and let Tommy talk or leave the room, got it?”

Jason bristled, spinning back to face the counter. Trini snickered at her husband. She turned to wait for Tommy.

Tommy shrugged. “Since the other night, the day after NEON.”

Trini’s eyes went wide, “Wow.”

Her expression softened as she watched him roll his eyes. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

Jason turned around, catching Trini and Tommy’s attention.

“Never mind. Dumb question.” Trini laughed. “Look, you gotta know, we would all be happy for you, right?”

Tommy nodded. “I know, it just—it was nice to have each other to ourselves for a second, that’s all. We still don’t know what any of this means and—“

“Tommy, we would nev—”

His expression soured. “Does Kim know you guys know?”

Jason shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

“Well, I don’t feel right talking about this without Kim here,” Tommy said.

“You’re right,” Trini nodded. “Where _is_ Kim?”

Jason motioned out. “She was still talking to Rob last I saw. I think they’re down by the screened porch.”

Tommy rolled his eyes.

Trini led him to the door. “Why don’t you go get her?” She motioned back to Jason “Give me a chance to deal with this one.”

Tommy stepped onto the patio, the muffled sounds of Trini ripping into Jason made him chuckle.

He looked to his left. The figures of two bodies skewed through the tightly woven mesh.

As Tommy drew closer, he caught their conversation. He stopped at the corner to hide himself from view.

Rob hovered over her as Kim leaned with her back against the wall. He held her chin and smiled, his offer of coming back to his place still hanging in the air.

“Thank you, but I can’t,” Kim said, gently pulling her chin out of his grasp. She moved to walk away.

Rob followed her and stepped in her path, “Oh? Trini said you were single—”

Kim stopped and snickered, “Yeah, that doesn’t really matter, I said I’m not interested.”

Tommy took a step forward to better see the action before him.

“Anything I can do to change your mind?” Rob asked, coming up behind her and stroking her bare arms.

Tommy stifled a nauseous gag. _This guy just wasn’t getting it, was he?_

So far, Kim had tried to keep her voice light. Even as her rejections had become more persistent, she had remained cordial.

Kim turned and held Rob’s hands at bay, “Look, I already said no, okay? I’d like to go back inside now—“

She reached for the door. Rob’s arm shot out and slammed it shut.

Kim spun to face him. It was becoming harder for her to keep calm.

She smiled at the man, but her tone was deadly. “Knock it off.”

Tommy’s hackles went up. He heard Rob laugh. _Bad move, dude._

Rob kept his one hand at the door, his other pushed against her arm, steering her to lean into the frame. “You’ve been flirting with me all night—“

Kim stared him down, “Let go of my arm.”

“Come on…”

Rob lowered his head, leaning in to take her by the lips.

“I said, back off,” she pushed him away.

Rob laughed bitterly. “No offense, but I’m starting to think coming here was a waste of time…”

Kim scowled, ready to give him a piece of her mind. She never got the chance. Another voice rang out behind her.

“How come whenever someone starts a sentence with _No offense_ , you can almost always guarantee that what comes after is going to be _super offensive_?”

Kim stumbled from the door, Tommy appearing on the other side of the screen.

Rob frowned as Tommy shot him a terse smile. “May I come in?”

Tommy didn’t bother waiting for a reply. Kim rolled her eyes as he pushed against the door and stepped inside the screened porch, letting the door slam behind him.

Rob looked to Kim, “What the hell is this?”

Kim spared Rob a look, “It’s—don’t worry about it. Look, I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea.”

She turned back to Tommy and tugged on his arm to lead them away. “Come on, tough guy, Let’s go.”

The fabric of his shirt slipped from her grasp as Tommy remained firmly planted in his spot, content to stare the other man down.

Hands in his pockets, he squared his jaw and released the most saccharine smile he could. “Hi. I’m Tommy, who the fuck are you?”

The man sneered. “I’m Rob.”

“Rob. Robert. _Robby..._ ” Tommy cooed menacingly. “Is something wrong with your ear?”

Rob instinctively threw a hand up to his head, in case the other guy was baiting him. “N-no.”

Tommy’s brow shot up in feigned surprise. “Oh, so you do know the word? Okay, cause a second ago it seemed like you didn’t when Kim said it to you.”

Kim gritted her teeth, trying once more to pull Tommy’s arm. “Okay, you made your point. He’s afraid of you, come on.”

Rob scoffed, “I’m not afraid of him.” He moved a step as Tommy followed. Rob froze.

Tommy held up a light hand to the guy’s chest, halting him once more.

“The next time a lady tells you she’s not interested, believe her the first time.”

“Look man, Trini said she was single, ok? I don’t know if you’re her boyfriend or her brother, but fine. I get it. My bad, dude. “

Kim and Tommy shared a collective jolt as Rob’s _brother_ comment landed. The guy couldn’t know how much that one word stung.

Tommy schooled himself like lightning, now more determined than ever to make his point. “Let’s just say we definitely have _relations_ …”

Kimberly rolled her eyes as Tommy hand came up to give Rob’s cheek an overly cheerful smack.

Rob knocked the hand away. “—the fuck off me,” he spat, rushing for the door. _“…bunch of fucking weirdoes…”_

The door bounced twice before closing as Tommy spun on his heels to face Kim, a peevish smile on his face.

Kim crossed her arms and shot him a look that said she was anything but amused.

“You proud of yourself?”

“Yep.”

She shook her head and stormed off toward the house.

\---x---

Jason scraped the last vestiges of food remnants from the plate into the bin before releasing the pedal that held the trash lid open. He looked up on his way to the sink as Kim barged through the kitchen.

“Hey, what happened just now? Rob took off—“

“Where’s Trini?” Kim asked, spinning helplessly when she couldn’t find her friend.

“She went after Rob. She’s out front with him now—Hey, slow down.” Jason laughed, catching Kim by the elbow to spin her back around.

He stilled her arms and craned his head to face her. “What happened?” He asked again.

Kim looked up at him, boredom mixed with irritation as they heard the back door open.

She yanked herself from Jason’s hold and marched into the den. Jason followed.

Kim rounded in on Tommy as he stepped into the room. “You are worse than your toddler!”

“Oh whatever, that douchebag had it—Ow!” Tommy winced as she smacked him hard across the arm.

“Give a girl a warning next time you wanna play Alpha male, I’ll make sure and have my ruler ready!”

“Hey, I stood out there for a good ten minutes before I said anything, ok?”

She laughed darkly, “Oh, thank you so much for _hesitating_ before whipping your dick out to piss on everything.”

“Will somebody please tell me what the hell happened?” Jason yelled.

“Ask Mister _mark his territory_ over here,” Kim grumbled. Tommy rolled his eyes.

The trio turned as Trini fell back against the front door with a sigh.

Kim stepped forward, “Trini—“

Trini held up her hand, “Nope. Don’t. Just—I don’t think Rob is ever coming back. Or going to speak to me again.”

Tommy snickered. “Bummer.”

Kim punched his stomach.

“Ow!” He balked, “Would you quit hitting me?”

“Would you quit acting like a spoiled brat?”

Jason looked to Trini. “Babe, what happened?”

Trini straightened back up and wandered into the kitchen.

Everyone followed as Trini made her way to the fridge and grabbed a beer.

Kim took a seat at the table as Jason leaned against the counter. Tommy stood in the doorway, arms crossed defiantly.

Jason reached into a drawer beside him and handed off the bottle opener to his wife.

Trini nodded wordlessly before popping the lid off her drink and took a long swig.

She swallowed with a quenched sigh, setting her bottle onto the table.

“So, Rob thinks Jason and I are mind-game playing psychopaths and that Kim needs to, and I quote, _tell her fucking guard dog to mind his own fucking business next time_.”

She took another long pull from her beer.

Kim spun in her chair to glare at Tommy as Jason’s eyes went back and forth between his wife and two friends silently.

Trini caught her breath once again as she set down her drink.

“Oh yeah, and he also said he’s never fucking coming back here. So, ya know, cheers.” She raised her nearly empty glass and downed the rest.

She stood up and set the bottle in the sink before turning back to face the room. Jason wrapped a consoling arm around her shoulder.

Jason sighed. “Kim, if we’d known about you and Tommy, we—“

Kim shot another dirty look at Tommy, “You told them?”

Tommy scoffed. “I didn’t have to tell them, Jason figured it out!”

Jason looked up. “Yeah, only cause you’re about as subtle as a flying brick, bro.”

Tommy shook his head in disdain, “Oh whatever, man. “

Kim sucked on her teeth, “Great. Just, fucking great,” she muttered, standing up and turning back to Tommy.

“You just couldn’t help yourself could you?” She glared.

“I didn’t say anyth—“

“How long did it take for Jason to figure it out, Tommy?”

He scoffed as she cocked her head expectantly.

“How long were you shooting daggers before Jason figured it out, hmm?”

He rolled his eyes as Kim rounded in on him once more.

“How long did you pout or glare before Jason. Fucking. Figured. It. Out?”

She shoved him with every punctuated word. He took it, letting her smack his chest to make her point. Finally, enough was enough. His hands shot up to still her by the wrists.

“He was all over you! What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to react?”

“Not like a spoiled child whose toy just gotten taken from them!” She wrenched her hands out of his grasp.

“What is the matter with you? I mean, seriously? You suddenly turn into Mr. Bruised Ego the moment I don’t spend every second fawning all over you?”

He rumbled out a spiteful laugh, “No one said you had to fawn all over me. But don’t act like you didn’t know talking to that guy all night wasn’t going to set me off!”

Kim sneered. “I didn’t say _a word_ when you were off talking to Rebecca!”

“You didn’t need to! That was never gonna happen!” Tommy insisted.

“Oh, but something _would_ happen with me and Rob?” Kim spat back. “You said it yourself you were spying on me for ten minutes! You heard me back there! You heard me turn him down!”

“Yeah, _after_ you let him corner you at the end of the night! Look, I’m not saying he was right—but if you _weren’t_ into him—“

Kim shot him a dangerous look.

“Tommy, shut up,” Trini warned.

Tommy did, seeming to hear the advice.

Kim shook her head. “I need to leave.” She turned to Trini and Jason. “Thanks for tonight. I’m sorry it ended like this.”

She spun on her heels and headed out of the kitchen. The trio heard the front door slam before Tommy spared his friends a solemn glance.

“I’m sorry too you guys.”

Jason nodded as Trini laid a sympathetic hand upon his shoulder. “Just let her cool off, okay?”

“And hey, no more playing Yenta, we promise.” Jason said.

Tommy snickered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “There we go, I’ll just blame you guys.”

Trini snorted. “Like hell you will.“

Tommy wrapped her in a hug as Jason clapped a hand on his back.

“We’ll touch base in the next few days. Give you and Kim a chance to make up.”

Tommy snickered. “Yeah, I might need that long.”

“Just say you’re sorry for acting like a stupid cave man, and it’ll be fine, “ Trini said.

She gave Jason a quick kiss. “I’m gonna go make sure we didn’t wake up the kids.” She turned once more to Tommy. “Good night. Love you.”

He had the good grace to look bashful. “Love you too Trini, thanks. Sorry again.”

Tommy watched her leave before turning back to face Jason.

“You don’t have to say it.”

Jason laughed and pulled him into his side as they wandered back into the living room.

“Back with Kim in less than a month and you’re already acting like a fucking moron again.”

Tommy rolled his eyes, “I’m not _with her_ ,” he said.

Jason nodded as they stopped before the front door. “Yeah well, you sure acted like a jealous boyfriend just now.”

_Boyfriend._ Tommy pressed his forehead into the door. “I know Kim can handle herself—but I mean, if she wasn’t interested why’d she let—I mean, _that guy?_ _Seriously?”_

Jason sighed. “I don’t think it matters how they ended up alone but—you know acting like a possessive asshole is a real fast way to piss her off?”

Tommy scoffed and shook his head. He refused to consider himself wrong for his reaction tonight.

Jason eyed him carefully. “She tell you about Florida?”

Tommy scowled, “Mark? Yeah.”

Jason clapped his shoulder, “Look, I’m sure Kim knows the difference, but it’s still a good idea to back off a bit. Especially since you _aren’t with_ her.”

“You didn’t hear him, Jase. He was getting real pushy and I just—I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, you need to,” Jason admonished, ““You just said it, Kim can handle herself. She’s not naïve, Tommy. Not after all that. And I’m grateful you stepped in if you thought she was in trouble but—you can’t just bust in and act like the hero and then—

Tommy balked. “Why the hell wouldn’t I if—I’m not just gonna sit back—I don’t do that, do I?”

Jason shot him a knowing look. “You can’t bust in and act like the hero and then turn around and accuse her of leading the guy on. _If you’d let me finish…”_

Tommy grimaced and ran a tired hand over his face.

Jason spared him a pitying smile. “Doesn’t really help the whole _defending her honor_ schtick if you then tell her it’s her fault.”

“I didn’t think it was her _fault._ I didn’t mean—” Tommy sputtered as he tried in vain to avoid admitting something he didn’t want to. “I just—I just really didn’t like seeing her with that guy.”

Jason smirked, “Clearly.”

Tommy glared back at him. He sometimes hated Jason’s easy manner when it came to things like this. The man was fiercely loyal, and Tommy respected the fraternal bond Jason shared with both himself and Kim. But sometimes he wished for silence over cool detachment. Not every moment needed a clever button at the end of it.

Jason opened the door, allowing Tommy to step out. Jason seemed to sense the other man’s frustration at his previous tone.

Jason gave his friend a sad smile. He’d level with him. “Look, you either trust her or you don’t.”

Tommy’s jaw relaxed. Sure, it wasn’t silence. But at least it wasn’t flip advice.

Tommy nodded shyly. “Please tell Trini I’m sorry again.”

“She knows,” Jason said. “You just get your story straight with Kim and we’ll all be good.”

“I will. Thanks, man.”

“Night, bro. Love you.”

“Love you too. Night.”

The door shut and the porch light went out, signaling a definitive end to the evening.

Tommy sighed as he shoved his hands inside his pockets and made his way to the end of the drive where his truck was parked off to the side.

He looked up as he approached the car, seeing Kim leaning up against the passenger side door.

“Hey,” he said. “I thought you went home already.”

“You drove us, remember? How did you expect me to get back?”

He gave a sheepish smile, “Sorry. I thought you might have grabbed a cab.”

She rolled her eyes, “Why would I do that?”

He gave a hopeless shrug. “I don’t know, you were mad.”

“Can you just unlock the car, please? I’m tired of standing.”

He tamped down his annoyance and beeped the car open. In a flash, Kim popped the door and crawled into the truck, slamming the door shut once she was inside.

He opened his side and slid into the seat, keys at the ignition.

“If I had realized you were waiting I wouldn’t have stayed so long after—”

“It’s fine,” she said curtly, “Like you said, you didn’t know.”

He turned on the car and reached up to shift into reverse before he stopped himself.

“Look, I’m sorry about tonight. It was an asshole move, especially after you’d just told me about Mark. I’m sorry.”

She looked over at him, “Thank you,“ she said, “But just for the record, I know you’re nothing like Mark. That’s not what _really_ pissed me off.”

“Oh.”

“It really hurt my feelings when you suggested that I had somehow led Rob on.”

Tommy sighed. “I just said that cause you took that shot at me about what’s her face.”

“Rebecca,” Kim supplied for him.

He leaned into his doltishness. “See? I can’t even remember her name.”

Kim snickered. “Whatever, you can’t even remember your _own name_ half the time.”

He managed a small laugh. Kim turned to face him better.

“Look, it was just really shitty to hear you act like _if anyone was gonna stray, it’d be me.”_

The _brother_ comment hit him once again. He mumbled something to himself.

Kim blinked back at him. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

He sighed. “Nothing. Forget it. I don’t want to fight anymore.”

She stopped him with a hand on his arm, “What did you just say?”

He looked at her for a moment, warring with himself whether or not to admit what he’d just muttered.

_Fuck it._

“I said, well, it wouldn’t be the first time…”

She scoffed and threw herself around to face the window. “Unfuckingbelievable.”

“Yep,” he barked, grabbing the gearshift aggressively and yanking it down.

He pulled out of the driveway so fast, shifting gears and spinning the car to head home, Kim actually sat back up in her seat and looked at him fearfully.

“Hey, you wanna calm down, please? And slow the fuck down?”

He let up on the gas and squeezed at the steering wheel.

“Sorry,” he said quietly.

He was still mad, but she was right. He needed to calm down if he was going to get them home safely.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She nodded as she felt his handling on the car ease up. She settled back into her seat, staring down at her hands resting in her lap.

They drove in horribly awkward silence for the rest of the ride home. He’d barely set the car in park before Kim unbuckled and jumped out of the truck.

He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes before unbuckling himself and climbing out of the car.

He beeped the car to lock it as he padded up the front porch. Kimberly leaned against the wall beside the door as she waited for him to unlock the house.

He propped the screen door open with his back, turned the key and pushed the front door wide to allow Kimberly inside.

She brushed past him without another word and headed straight for the guest room.

He heard her room door open and shut as he stepped inside the house, holding on to guide the storm door softly into place before removing his keys from the lock and shutting the front door.

He ambled tiredly into the kitchen, crossing to the back door to hang up his key ring.

He turned back and saw a note on the kitchen table from his mom.

She’d been babysitting Miles, deciding to take him back to his parents’ house, assuring him they’d be back before tomorrow afternoon. He managed a small smile.

He yawned, the events of the night finally catching up with the late hour.

He rubbed the back of his neck and ripped off his jacket in a sudden burst of frustration. He walked back into the living room, throwing his jacket over the chair and headed for his bedroom.

He stopped right before the door, spying down the hall. Kim emerged, stopping as she caught him staring back at her.

She held up her chin and spun on her heels before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

His jaw tensed, twisting the knob angrily as he marched inside and slammed the door.

He paced about his room for a minute before dropping with a bounce onto his bed. He aggressively wrenched his boots off, before half-heartedly throwing them across the room.

He let himself fall back into the mattress, staring up at the ceiling.

_This._ This was the part he hadn’t missed. He knew relationships weren’t all sunshine and roses. Hell, he was _divorced._ If anyone understood that couples fight and sometimes don’t recover, it was him.

But some small, idealistic part of him had hoped that if he and Kim ever found their way back to each other, they’d be different. They’d be the exception to the rule.

_That was dumb._ Even in the prime of high school, they’d fought. Mostly petty things, hardly of consequence. But on the rare occasion they had argued over something serious, it usually came from Ranger business. Kim the Ranger was as fierce as she was stubborn.

She’d served longer than him. A fact she’d reminded him of, when once he’d pulled rank on her. It wasn’t something he liked doing, even if he had every right to. Since becoming the White Ranger he’d been the leader, and on every subsequent team he’d served thereafter. The team looked to him for answers and direction. But what good was giving orders if people didn’t follow them?

He could remember being furious with her during a battle wherein she’d deliberately diverted her zord to go after a secondary monster that Zedd had conjured, despite his clear order to fall back and join the group. She insisted she had the shot. Besides, the Megazord formation could be completed without her. And it wouldn’t matter anyway if they still had two enemies to fight.

She took out the sidekick in a matter of minutes. But as she circled back to join their assembly, she found she’d been locked out. She couldn’t join them now even if she wanted to. She’d just have to hover and wait while the rest finished the job.

They teleported back to the Command Center, his helmet off in a flash to yell at her for being careless, showing off, disobeying him and putting everyone else at risk. It was her own fault he overrode her computer.

She’d countered with a similar argument she’d made this evening. How fragile was his ego that he couldn’t admit that she’d been right to ignore him and go after the monster alone? How dare he shut down her controls and give her a time out, like she was some petulant child who needed to be taught a lesson. They were standing in one piece, weren’t they? They’d saved the day again, hadn’t they? So what the hell was his problem?

The problem was; he didn’t like Kim putting herself in harm’s way. He didn’t like being wrong. He didn’t like being made a fool of. She hadn’t meant to embarrass him, she’d done it to prove a point. He, on the other hand, had acted out of spite.

She loved him for his want to protect her, he knew that. She’d made mention of him as her handsome prince long enough, he’d started to take the moniker to heart. And they joked about her damsel in distress reputation. And to be sure, there were plenty of times she needed rescuing. But there were also plenty of times she didn’t. She _had_ served longer than he had. She had even fought _him_ once. She knew what she was doing. He needed to have more faith in her.

He thought he did. But Kim hadn’t just meant her prowess on the battlefield.

And what he’d always viewed as heroic and protective, had now become arrogant and smothering.

And he feared that Kim thought he’d doubted their relationship.

He was sure that very fear was why he’d been so adamant that Kim take off for Florida. She would no longer be a Ranger then, and so there’d be no misunderstanding where he was putting all of his faith this time. She’d have to know how much he believed in her. Believed in them.

And so he did. Until there was no _them_ anymore. And after that, it was as if he’d locked her out all over again.

For the next twelve years, Kim would only ever get to watch him from afar. Frozen as she was in the place he’d left her hovering. But that was just it. He may have shut her out, but she was still visible, just off to the side. Indeed, her presence was very much apparent and every bit as imposing as the fiery bird of prey in which she piloted.

Jason’s final words echoed in his head. _You either trust her or you don’t._

His eyes fluttered shut, exhaustion overtaking him as he fell asleep in his spot.

\---x---

  
_Tommy’s House  
_ _Sunday, July 1 st, 10:42am   
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

Tommy reemerged from inside, coming over to take a seat in one of the chairs that sat on his front porch.

His mother smiled up at him as he looked to her.

“Thanks for taking him again last night,” he said, thumbing back inside to indicate Miles. The boy had been exhausted after spending all morning playing with his grandparents. Tommy was again grateful to his mother for wearing the kid out.

“Oh it’s fine. We’re always happy to see him.”

Tommy nodded, “How’s pops doing? How’d the surgery go?”

Pat nodded along. “Fine. Fine. He got his first round of steroids. And then I have to give him a shot in the ass every two weeks. You should see him. We bought him this special chair so I can give him the thing, right? I said, why do we need a special chair? Can’t you just bend over and lean on the bed? But he said, Trish, that goddamn thing is too low! And of course I told him well, you _sleep_ in it just fine. But then—”

“Ma, Focus.“

She cleared her throat, “Right. Yes, sorry. Anyway, the surgery went fine. And getting to see Miles really did wonders for his spirit. It’s been a minute since we’ve had a toddler in the house. But you know, we had hoped to have at least _one_ running around by now so…”

“Yeah well... _one_ is all you’re probably gonna get at this point.” Tommy laughed bitterly. He looked over at his mother and gave her resigned smile.

“I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit for real. Just with getting all the custody stuff figured out these last few months and—“

Pat dismissed him with a wave, “We know, sweetheart. We’re just glad you’re okay. You _are_ ok, right? Now that it’s all said and done? How are you feeling?”

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed the back of his neck. “About the divorce? Good. Well, I mean—not _good_ , but you know, relieved. It—it was the right thing to do.”

Pat nodded and relaxed back in her chair as well. “And how is the tramp?”

Tommy shot her an admonishing look, “Mom!”

Pat looked back at him innocently, “What? Surely you can’t begrudge me a _little_ trash talk. I _am_ your mother. She’s getting off easy, if you ask me. I want to call her _much worse.”_

He frowned. “Yeah, well, don’t do it for my benefit, ok? I still have to see her every week.”

“I don’t know why she even argued for joint custody at all. You said she didn’t even want to have Miles in the first place.”

“That was before he was born, ma. A lot can change in three years…”

She rolled her eyes, _“Obviously.”_

He shot her a glare that brooked no argument. She held up her hands in surrender before releasing a sigh and mercifully switched topics.

“So where’s Kimberly?”

_Nice change of subject, mother. Out of the frying pan and into the fire._

He shook his head. “She—I don’t know where she went this morning. We—we kinda had a fight last night.”

Pat sat up in her chair, “Oh no. Why?”

He sighed and ran his fingers threw his hair. She knew that look.

“Oh dear. Are you seeing each other again?”

His momentary shock at his mother’s intuition quickly gave way to frustration.

“Not—not exactly.”

“Are you sleeping together?”

His eyes shot up to wonder at her. “Mom!”

She rolled her eyes and waved him off, “Oh whatever, you’re an adult now. It’s not like I don’t know you’ve had sex, Tommy.”

“I really don’t want to talk about this with you.”

She flashed him a bemused smile, “We knew when you and Kim we’re doing it back in high school. You think your dad and I couldn’t tell?”

He sank down in his chair, willing the contraption to swallow him whole.

She leaned to one side and propped her elbow on the arm of her chair, “First of all, we’re you’re parents. Second of all, we were _also_ young horny teenagers once too, you know. As hard as that is to imagine now…”

He hid his face behind his hand. “I’m not a teenager anymore, ma, “ he grumbled.

She shrugged, “Oh, you know what I mean.”

He peaked at her through his fingers, feeling it safe to come out when she laughed at his childish reaction.

“Well, I don’t know what happened, but just tell her you’re sorry.”

He sat back up, adjusting himself in the chair, “I did.”

“And she’s still mad?”

Tommy shrugged, “I don’t know. All her stuff’s still here but—“

Patricia scowled. “Was the fight _that_ bad?”

“No. I just—she was gone when I woke up and I got worried—“

Pat laughed. “Oh, then she’s fine.”

He shot her a confused look. “What?”

“If she was still mad, she would have made sure you saw her leave. But if she took off without waking you up, then she’s fine. Believe me.”

“Well, she wouldn’t have woken me up. She—went back to the guest bed to sleep last night—“

Pat turned to him with a knowing smirk, “So you _are_ sleeping together? Is that why you two had a fight?”

He rolled his eyes at his mom’s uncanny interrogation skills.

“No, not really. We went over to Jason and Trini’s last night, they had invited friends from work—they tried to set us up—the guy that Trini tried to set Kim up with he—

“Oh. And you got jealous?”

He scowled, “Why do you assume it was me?”

She ticked off the reasons. “You said Kim is mad. Your friends set you up. You only mention the guy,” Pat held up her hands in triumphant conclusion. “Not hard to figure out.”

He scoffed, “I didn’t—I mean yes, I guess I was jealous but—“ he sighed and slumped back into the chair once again, “I should have just let her handle it.”

Her lips pursed in thoughtful recognition, “Uh huh. I think I’m getting the gist of what happened. This other guy, at the thing, what’d he get, too pushy for you?”

Tommy snickered, “Yes. I may have enjoyed messing with him a bit too much.“

Pat clucked her tongue, “Oh honey…”

Tommy sighed as he went on, “And then she said I made her feel like she wasn’t—ya know, _serious about us_ or whatever…”

Pat frowned, “Did you? Wait, I thought you said you weren’t dating again?”

He screwed up his face as he let a low growl in frustration, “We haven’t—we don’t know what this is yet.”

She snickered before falling back into a wistful contemplation, “I like Kim. I liked Kat too. Is she still with Billy?”

He shot her a look, “Yes mom. She and Billy have been together for awhile now.”

Pat gave a noncommittal shrug, seemingly a bit disappointed, “Was that awkward? To see your close friend date your ex?”

Tommy frowned. He wasn’t sure how to answer that. “I guess, at first. But Kat and I are friends too. I just wanted to see them happy. They both deserve to be.”

“And what about Kim?”

“She never dated Billy,” he shot her a wry smile.

She rolled her eyes, “ _I meant_ , when Kim and you broke up, did you ever meet the other guy she started dating?”

He snickered, “No. _Definitely not_.”

“Oh,” she frowned, “Was he not at Jason and Trini’s wedding?”

“No, ma. Kim’s had a few boyfriends, and her last—this is too complicated to explain—she’s single right now, obviously.”

She considered this. “I’m surprised by that.”

He shot her a look, “Why?”  
  


Pat shrugged, “She’s a beautiful girl. And she was always such a charming, bubbly kind of gal.”

His face softened as he considered the description of Kim, “She still is.”

“I mean, I wanted to give her a piece of my mind after I saw what she put you through _back then_ but...”

His face fell at the reminder, “Yeah, I also took a really low shot at her about that…”

Pat looked at him sympathetically, “Oh dear. Well, look, maybe this fight is what you two needed, you know? Help you finally admit how—“

He turned on her suddenly, “Why does everyone always say that? Like I don’t know my own mind...”

She scoffed, “Where did that come from?”

He sighed. “Look, I know I’m not always the most observant guy, ok? But I’d like to think I have _some_ sense of my own feelings. I’m not just stumbling around like _Geez, what could possibly be the reason I act like this when I’m around her, if only someone would remind me over and over again…”_

Pat stared back at him incredulously, “I don’t understand why you’re getting so defensive—“

“Cause this is half the reason my marriage failed, mom. And I resent the fact that everybody always treats me like I’m this sad puppy who’s just been pining after the same woman for fifteen years _if only I’d just realize it._ Oh, poor dumb Tommy. And I’m sick of it. And I’m sick of _defending_ how I feel, no matter _what_ I feel. I’m a good man. I was a good boyfriend and I was a good husband. I never cheated on Heather. Not with Kim, not with anyone. I thought I found someone to spend the rest of my life with. I tried to make it work with Heather, I _wanted_ it to work. I wanted it to work so much, _I married her._ And that still wasn’t good enough. She just kept telling me I was an idiot for not seeing something so obvious. Well, ya know what? I _did_ see it, ok? Everybody happy now? I knew. I knew how I felt about Kim. Heather didn’t need to pry it out of me. And neither does anyone else. But enough already. Everyone always thinks they’re trying to get me to admit something that I don’t want too, like it’s so much fun to watch me squirm. Like I’m the last to know. Well, joke’s on them, ok? I know, believe me. I’m not _that_ big of an idiot.”

Patricia cleared her throat. She looked utterly bored. “You finished?”

He threw himself back into his chair carelessly, pouting as he felt the inevitable admonishment to come.

“I guess,” he mumbled.

Pat sighed. “Well, far be it for me to agree with _anything_ that bitch ex-wife of yours has to say but, if this is true? If you were still in love with Kim, and you knew how strongly you felt, then Heather was absolutely right to call you out on it. That is one of the most ridiculously selfish things I have ever heard.”

He stared back at his mother in shock. He’d expected a reprimand. But to hear her call him selfish and agree with Heather was something else entirely.

She shook her head as she went on. “How did you honestly expect to make that marriage work if you were in love with somebody else? Oh yes, I know, you said, you were never unfaithful, “ She rolled her eyes.

“So you didn’t _sleep_ with someone else, _big deal._ Do you even hear yourself? You thought you found _someone_ to spend the rest of your life with _._ Found _someone._ Not, _the person,_ but _someone.”_

Tommy sat with his arms folded tightly across his chest, staring at his mother defiantly. Unbothered, she rounded in on him.

“I believe you when you say you know your own feelings. But you know what this little tirade of yours tells me? What it tells me you _don’t_ know? What Heather was _actually_ trying to get you to admit? It wasn’t that you were obviously in love with Kimberly. It was that you obviously _weren’t_ in love with Heather.”

His jaw ticked, tears brimming in his eyes. He turned away in sudden refusal to look her way, lest she puzzle out any more revelations he wasn’t ready for.

She softened almost instantly as she saw him start to cry. Patricia Oliver was a badass woman, but she was still his mother. She’d met out tough love on the daily, as was her way. But still, she hated to see her son upset.

She moved to his side and wrapped him in her arms. “Oh sweetheart…”

His chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes stinging as he tried in vain to not break down even harder. His voice cracked. “I tried, mom. I really did try. “

She rubbed a consoling hand across his back. Her tone softened.

“I know. I know you did.” She held him back at arm’s length to face her.

“But do you see now how unfair that was? To Heather _and to you?_ You _are_ a good man. And you’ve become an amazing father. And I have no doubt that you will just keep getting better. I am so incredibly proud of you. But you still have a lot to learn about being in a relationship. Things like sacrifice and compromise shouldn’t apply to the actual person you’re with. No one should have to settle for someone. And no one should be made to feel like they’re a consolation prize. _Not even Heather….”_

Tommy managed a strangled laugh as Pat smiled. She held his face in her hands.

“You’ve brought a child into this world now, and I know that may have made it harder to leave. You can’t change any of it now. But I hope all of this will make you fight a bit harder for what you _really want_ in the future.”

Tommy swallowed as Pat released his face, bringing one hand up to smooth out his brow.

“And by the looks of it, I don’t imagine you and Kim need much convincing if you two _want_ to be together again. Unless there’s something else you’ve repressed that you’d like to me drag out of you?”

He snickered as she moved back to her own chair.

“I’m very good at getting information out of people. I wasn’t a cop for thirty years for nothing.”

He shot her a smile, “I know, mom. Yes you are. You are very good.”

She tilted her head to regard him thoughtfully. “I want you to be happy. And I want _you_ to believe that you _deserve_ to be. “

He frowned a bit at that. “I do.” He didn’t look terribly convinced.

“Well then _Mr. You Can’t Tell Me Nothin’_ , what are you gonna do about it?”

He snickered and ran a tired hand across his face. She shot her son a knowing look.

\---x---


	8. It’s the Right Word to Use

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Sunday, July 1 st, 1:06pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

“Kimbree!”

“Hey hold on a minute, bud. We don’t know—“

Miles scrambled up from his fort and ran out of his bedroom. Tommy sighed as he paused the movie they were watching and made to stand. It was most likely Kim. But it was probably time for another _Stranger Danger_ discussion with his child. Running straight for the door every time someone came to the house, not so good.

True, he lived out in the middle of nowhere, and only three other people currently had a key. He checked his phone. She’d been gone nearly fours. Maybe more, depending on when she’d actually left that morning. He heard her greet Miles as he slowly entered the living room.

“Hi, honey.”

“I sleep at Gamma’s and we came back.”

Kim laughed. She’d seen Patricia’s note from last night on the kitchen table when she’d left this morning.

“Did you have fun with Gamma?”

Mile nodded. “Saba can’t…umm…he has to sit in a chair and he has to go easy cause Gamma make him mad.”

Kim eyed him. “Wait—sorry. Did you say Saba?”

“Saba means grandpa in Hebrew.”

Her eyes shot up to see Tommy. He leaned up against the recliner, his arms folded across his chest.

Kim frowned in confusion. “I thought your parents were Scottish.”

Tommy snickered. _Adoptive parents, but sure. Which meant he wasn’t. He knew he wasn’t. And no one in the mix was Jewish, but whatever. If she wanted to stall the inevitable conversation they needed to have about their fight last night, fine. He’d humor her._

Tommy shrugged. “It was the easiest word he could say. I thought it was funny. It stuck.”

Kim managed a small chuckle. Miles looked in between them.

“Kimbree you want watch movie? Big bird’s got…to the dodos house.”

Kim smiled back at him. “Maybe in a minute, ok? I need to talk to your daddy first.”

_Ah. There we go. No more stalling._

Miles looked back at Tommy. “But he’s we are watching.”

Tommy swooped and hoisted the boy into his arms. “Tell you what bud. You finish the movie, and if you’re hungry by the end of it, we can have anything you want, ok? I can make it, or we can go out. Whaddya say?”

Miles nodded. “Big Surf!”

Tommy groaned. “Okay, well, finish the movie first and then we’ll renegotiate, yeah?”

Miles only understood half of that. Tommy set him down and watched as the boy ran back to his room.

He turned back to look at Kim. She motioned for his bedroom. He nodded.

He took a seat on his bed as Kim shut the door, leaning against it.

“So, where’d you go?” He asked.

She shrugged. “Drove around for a bit. Went to the mall…” her voice was tentative, shy.

He recalled the lack of bags when she’d returned. “And you didn’t buy anything?” He snickered. “That’s a first.”

She fidgeted, she spared him a bashful grin. “They’re still in the car...”

He sneered. “Well, glad you weren’t too upset to still go shopping.”

She scowled. The gentleness in her voice turning low and aggravated. “What are we doing?”

He blinked. “What do you mean—“

“Are we not gonna talk this out? You still in asshole mode?”

He scoffed, “Wow. Ok.”

“Are you not going to apologize—“

He glared at her. “I already did! What about you? Are _you_ gon—“

She pushed off the door. “I have nothing to—“

He stood up. “Bullshit. I am not taking the hit for this alone.”

She snickered. “Oh, so now _I’m_ the bad guy?”

He pointed an accusatory hand at her. “I already said I was sorry about going all macho cave man, ok? But I will not apologize for wanting to protect you.”

She was piking toward him, her torso lurching forward in frustration. “That’s not why I got mad and you don’t have to protect me!”

_Well, this was off to a great start._

He cracked his knuckles. Nodding impatiently. “I got jealous. That Rob guy was clearly hitting on you and I didn’t like it. I got mad cause it felt like you were flirting with him in front of me on purpose.”

She scowled. “You’re literally just telling me what you did.”

He balked, “I’m admitting I was jealous!”

She threw her hands up in exasperation. “Big fucking deal. I already knew that!”

He shook his head furiously. “I don’t know what you want from me. I said I was sorry. I said I was jealous. I said it was stupid—Jesus. What do you want me to say? I mean like, _actually_ tell me. The _actual_ words.”

Her eyes screwed shut as she ran her hands through her hair. She sighed audibly, looking back at him.

“I’m not—I’m not _going anywhere_.”

He frowned. “What?”

She tried again. She looked at him pitifully, motioning between them. “This—whatever _this_ is—whatever is happening with _us_ again, I’m not—I’m not just—I want to—I _think_ I want to—“

He leapt off the bed, closing the gap between them and grabbed her hands. “Kim—“

She stared at his hands holding hers. “I know we haven’t talked about it. Maybe you don’t even want that but—this isn’t just about sleeping together again—“

He nodded, sparing her a charmed smile. “I know it’s not. But, are you—what are you saying? You want to like, _date_ again?”

She grimaced. “God, it sounds so stupid out loud…”

He chuckled. His thumbs ran across the back of her hands. “I know it’s more than sex. It’s _never_ been just about that. I mean, the sex is… _fantastic_ but—“

She shot him a pathetic look. He ran a hand along her cheek. His face turned slightly worried. “We like each other too much for it to ever just be about that. _Don’t we?”_

She bit her lip. He laughed softly. He tucked a hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry I doubted you,” he said. _He wasn’t sure where the words had come from suddenly. But in that moment, he realized that’s probably what she’d been needing to hear._

She blinked back her watery eyes. “Thank you. I’m sorry too. I know you were just looking out for me.”

“I know you can take care of yourself,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean I still won’t try to come to your rescue. I can’t help it.”

She smiled. “I know. Just, maybe wait until I’m _actually_ in trouble next time?”

He pulled her into a hug, his arms wrapped about her shoulders. “I’ll try.”

Kim encircled her arms around his waist. “So we still like each other, huh?”

He laughed. He kissed the top of her head. “Like a pair of dummies.”

She snorted, closing her eyes as she squeezed him tighter. They stayed quiet for a few moments more. Silently comforted in each other’s embrace.

Kim opened her eyes. _“Let’s just say we definitely have relations?”_

Tommy laughed wildly. “I’m never gonna let you live that down, ya know.”

Kim gritted her teeth. “I was trying to let you down gently.”

He smiled, pulling back to look at her. “Still see me as a brother?”

She rolled her eyes. “You know I never did.”

\-----x---

_Big Surf  
_ _Sunday, July 1 st, 3:17pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

“That’s her. Sophia Lin Park.”

“Oh my goodness, look at her! She is amazing!” Kim fawned as she held Katherine’s phone in her hands.

Kat leaned over to scroll to the next photo, “Isn’t she gorgeous? Look at this one!”

Trini bent over Kim’s shoulder and swooned. “Oh, she’s so tiny!” she said.

Aisha pressed up against the other side of Kim in her seat. “Is it weird that I can totally see both of them in her already?” she said.

The guys rolled their eyes and laughed as the girls continued to coo over the pictures Kat had taken.

“How are they doing?” Jason asked.

Rocky nodded, “Adam was over the moon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that happy.”

“Or exhausted,” Billy added. “Though I imagine his weariness was far less significant than Tanya’s.”

Rocky waved him off, “Nah. Tanya’s tougher than all of us. Adam said he’d never seen such strength and courage.”

Tommy nodded, “It is pretty amazing to watch. I think I get why they’re the ones who give birth,” he said, nudging his chin toward the women. “I couldn’t do it.”

Jason laughed, “No doubt. Trini was in labor for 14 hours. No way I could wait that long. I’d be up in there with a pulley or like dangling a carrot just to tempt them out.”

The guys laughed at the image Jason conjured.

“And congrats too you as well, Rocko,” Zack said, _“Godfather.”_

Rocky beamed. The guys groaned. They knew it was coming. _“_ _You don't ask with respect. You don't offer friendship. You don't even think to call me Godfather. Instead, you come into my house on the day my daughter is to be married, and you ask me to do murder, for money.”_

The girls looked up as they heard the guys’ laughter. Aisha threw her napkin at Rocky. “That’s your one for the day.”

“Kat, God _mother_ , congratulations to you too,” Zack offered, raising his glass.

“Thank you.” Kat raised her glass in return, “I don’t have quite the same luxury as Rocky, so I’ll just say, bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.”

The rest of the table raised the drinks, “To Adam and Tanya and Sophia Lin!”

Tommy scanned the play area where his mom was keeping an eye on Miles and the twins.

“I think we should relieve my mother now,” he said, moving to stand. Jason looked back in the same direction. He nodded, pushing out from his seat.

“You got it.”

“So, Rocko,” Zack said, “You and Aisha thought about kids?”

Aisha looked up. “Oh, I think this one is a big enough kid for the both of us, don’t you?”

Rocky scoffed. “Hey, I would make an awesome dad, I’ll have you know. I am the oldest of seven kids, and now I’ve been an uncle four times over. I know how to cook, I am physically fit, and I’m fucking hysterical.”

The table laughed. Rocky preened as their reaction only served to prove his point. Aisha shook her head and leaned over to kiss him gently.

“You would make an awesome dad, I have no doubt.”

“So let’s go, right now. You wanna make babies? Let’s go, let’s do this.”

Aisha giggled. “Hold on there, cowboy. I’m perfectly happy with our lives right now. There is no rush here.”

Rocky turned serious suddenly. “You sure? Cause, I do want kids, you know. I hope I didn’t make you think I didn’t. I know I’m a big goof off, _most of the time_ , but I really do think I’d be a great dad. And I’d do everything I can to make you happy.”

Zack and Billy blushed at Rocky’s earnestness. Aisha had never looked so in love.

The girls had long abandoned Kat’s phone and photos to eavesdrop. Trini’s nails were digging into Kim’s shoulders. Kim didn’t care, she was nearly in tears. Kat was practically swooning.

“I love you so much, you big idiot,” Aisha blurted out, pulling him closer to kiss him soundly.

Zack whistled as Billy ducked his head out of propriety. Kat clutched Kat’s hand as Trini started clapping. Jason and Tommy approached the table, kids in tow, as Aisha and Rocky ended the lip lock.

Jason snickered, taking note of everyone’s reactions. Tommy looked a bit lost. He readjusted Miles on his hip.

“What’d we miss?” he wondered.

Jason smirked. “Should someone tell Rocky he doesn’t have to propose _after_ he’s already married?”

Rocky shot a look over his shoulder at his predecessor. “You’re lucky I’m too happy to fight with you right now.”

Jason laughed as Trini came over to relieve him of the baby girl at his hip. Jason smiled down at his son before hoisting the boy up and leading him over to one of the high chairs at the table.

Tommy moved back to his seat, Miles positioned on his lap. Kim leaned over and kissed miles on the cheek. The boy giggled, wiping the kiss off his cheek. Kim balked.

“Oh! Did you just wipe off my kiss?” She feigned great offense.

Miles laughed some more. Tommy leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Kid doesn’t know how good he’s got it.”

Tommy shot her a wink. Kim rolled her eyes as she glanced around. “Where is your mom?”

Tommy nudged his chin back toward the play area. “She wanted to call my dad. Check in.”

Kim nodded. “He doing okay?” She looked back down at Miles. “Is Saba doing okay?”

Miles smiled. “Saba had…uh….Gamma gave him in the butt.”

Tommy snickered as Kim laughed wildly. “Oh, well, sounds like Saba is doing _very well…”_

Tommy shook his head, and looked down at his son. “What are they teaching you at Gamma and Saba’s, huh?”

Miles laughed. He had no idea what his father meant. But the boy laughed hysterically anyway. Tommy squeezed the boy in his arms.

“Dare I even ask about you and Kat, Mr. Cranston?” Aisha wondered.

Kat blushed as Billy went pale. He straightened his glasses. “Why—what do you—“

Rocky chimed in, thumbing a finger at Zack, “Well, Mr. Minister of Slick over here ain’t having any kids, and Tommy and Kim are probably already making a bunch like they think we don’t know about it, so that only leaves you two.”

Kim and Tommy looked up in collective shock as they heard their names. It did them no favors that they sat together with Tommy’s son practically in between them, who looked so much like his father already. And with Kim’s complexion, the boy could easily be mistaken for hers too.

They felt the need to defend themselves. Kim blustered. “What—what, what are you—“

Tommy tried to laugh. “Yeah, Kim and I aren’t—hold on, Rocky—“

Billy sighed in relief that the focus had been taken off he and Kat’s family planning. He shot a sad smile to his partner. Kat threw him a wink.

Rocky rolled his eyes as Kim and Tommy tried to lamely cover the sudden accusation. “Oh, whatever you two. You guys are clearly back together. I gotta tell ya, your subtly sucks.”

Jason howled. “Wow. Well, you know if you’re getting a lecture on subtly from _Rocky_ …“

Tommy shot Jason a glare. He could have tried to deny Rocky’s claim _a bit harder._

Trini remained silent, trying to maintain some semblance of propriety.

Zack just smirked. He’d called it before Kim had even gotten into town for the summer. But then, Zack had always been a big champion of Kim and Tommy as a couple. He’d been one of the first people Kim had confided in when she’d first had a crush on the new kid, and Tommy had gone to Zack countless times for his advice on how to sweep Kim off her feet and ask her out properly. Long term, complicated dramatic romance wasn’t really appealing to his own taste, but Zack knew his friends embraced it. And seeing as the rest of their group had all naturally stuck together and paired off, it only made sense that Kim and Tommy would complete the circle.

Aisha spared Kim a bashful smile, knowing full well that what her mouthy husband had said was basically true.

Kim shot Tommy a pitiful smile. Tommy sighed. He wasn’t entirely sure why they were even trying to hide anything anymore. After their last conversation, they’d both basically said they’d wanted to try and date again. And they’d already been sleeping together for the last two weeks. They’d gone nearly everywhere together since the summer reunion had started, usually nominating to arrive at events with one another, sitting closely, sticking beside the other.

Kim reached a hand in front of Miles across the table, offering it to Tommy. He looked down and smiled, taking it in his own.

Kim bit her lip and smiled at the table. “Well, I guess this saves us any sort of big announcement…”

Tommy shot a pointed look at Rocky, “But we’re not—“ He tore his hand from Kim’s to cover his son’s ears. _“We’re not making a bunch of babies, I’ll have you know.”_

Miles looked up at his dad as Tommy released the boy’s ears. Rocky smiled at the toddler. “You don’t know what that means anyway, do you?”

Miles laughed. “Your sutty sucks!”

Tommy rolled his eyes as the adults laughed at the audacity of the child. Jason and Trini unconsciously coddled their own children seated around the table, grateful the twins hadn’t started parroting their conversations quite yet.

Kim shot Tommy a smile as he snickered. Well, one less secret to have to worry about, he supposed.

\---x---

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Monday, July 2 nd , 4:39am  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

His head rested against her shoulder. She’d been quiet for too long.

“What are you thinking about?” he wondered aloud. His hands unconsciously splayed against her stomach.

She looked at him, thoughtfully but distractedly. She shook her head and smiled as she ran her hands through his hair. “Nothing. Nothing bad, I promise.”

He didn’t quite believe her. He sat up higher to face her better. “Hey. Kim, what is it?”

She shook her head, “It’s nothing. It’s just—something your mom said, the other day. How sad she got when we mentioned Tanya about to give birth. She had this face. It lasted maybe a second but—something that I recognized. I saw myself in her in that moment. Like, there was that part of her so sad for not having known what giving birth was like.”

He eyed her carefully. “Are _you?_ Sad?”

She shrugged. “Not all the time. But—yeah,” she gave a tiny laugh. “I guess I am a little sad.”

“I see you,” he said. “I watch you with all the kids. I see how you get. You’re amazing with them,” he gave her a wistful smile.

She smiled too, though it hardly reached her eyes. Tommy went on.

“And with Miles. I mean I know I’ve said it before but I just—I mean, Kim. I can’t tell enough you how happy it makes me to see you with him. Seriously. And to see how well you two get along it just—it does something to me.”

She bit her lip, a sure sign she was actually listening. She spared him another smile, if only to acknowledge his kind sentiment.

“I adore them. All of them. I do. But sometimes—“

He nodded. “I know. I can see it in your face. You’ve been pretty preoccupied about the kids since you got here this summer.”

She looked back at him. Scared to think she may have been projecting such an intimate feeling so plainly. “Have I?”

“Well, every time any of them are around, you’re always one of the first ones to greet them, or ask to hold them. I don’t think anyone minds. It’s not a judgment, it’s just an observation,” he tried to assure her.

He caught her chin with his hand when she looked away, seemingly ashamed.

“You were glued to Tanya at the water park the other day. I was confused at first, cause I know you and Tanya haven’t ever really been that close. And I remember thinking, _what in the world do those two have so much to say to each other?_ But then I saw you when she let you feel the baby. I saw your face light up. But there was this—I don’t know, _sadness_ there too,” he snickered.

He gave her a crooked grin. “I wish I could find a better word for it but that’s the best one I can think of. “

She gave him a rueful smile. “No. It’s the right word to use. You’re right. Yeah, I guess I have been a little preoccupied. It’s just—it’s just something that seems to keep coming up in my life a lot recently.”

She shrugged, pulling her chin away and laying one side of her face down on the pillow.

“I never paid it much mind before, you know? Like, I’ve always been good with kids, I adore kids. And for a long time, it wasn’t even an issue. I could enjoy them from a distance, think they were cute or whatever. But then just go back to whatever else I was doing. But now, in the last few years or so, I find myself wondering, like—am I missing something? I see all my best friends, and their beautiful children. And I love being Aunt Kim, Godmother, all of that. But sometimes, I just—“

She had started to cry, he didn’t know when. But her tears were sliding down her cheek. The pillowcase she laid on, damp from where the tears had landed. She sniffled, her nose slightly congested. Though she’d been speaking in soft tones, Tommy could hear the strain in her voice.

He looked back at her, concerned as much as he was empathetic. He ran his thumb over her exposed cheek, wiping off the tears that rested there. The other side of her face still trapped beneath the pillow.

“So that _is_ something that you do want, then? You want to have kids?”

She shrugged. “I always thought I did, ya know, when I was younger. It was always like, a given. Like, duh, and a husband and a dog.” she snickered.

He laughed too as she rolled her eyes at her childish recollections.

“But as I got older, and things in my life changed, my feelings and relationships changed, so did my expectations. But I was never too bothered or worried. I guess I just always thought I had time, ya know? And I don’t even mean, like, my biological clock is ticking, or whatever. But I mean like, I always thought, eventually I’d end up with the man I love, whenever that happened. And we’d be together and we’d have kids, and we’d be a family.”

Tommy nodded. He’d felt very much the same for a long time too. Taking for granted the possibility of not being with the woman for whom he’d long thought he’d be making those plans with.

Kim sighed. “But a huge part of this comes down to who I’m with. Which I know might sound awful but I just—I don’t want to have a kid on my own. And I don’t want a kid just for the sake of having children. I mean, I want—I want to have kids with someone I love, ya know? I want to know that he and I made this family together.”

She looked back up at him and smiled. “But then I look at, like how you were raised, right?”

His brow furrowed. She sighed and snuck her hand out to smooth the crease he’d created on his forehead.

“How Patty and James adopted you as a baby and they are the most amazing parents in the world. And they raised the most amazing son. And I think, yeah. I could do that. I don’t need to like, _actually_ give birth to have a kid and a family and all that, right?”

Neither said anything. Though they were both certainly thinking it.

If the question of children was dependent on who Kim was with, the man she decided to spend her life with, well, Tommy was fairly certain he might have entered the race once more. But they hadn’t actually talked about that.

In abstract terms they’d acknowledged that something was clearly evolving. But technically, they hadn’t said it. They kept calling it _this._ The other day was the first time they’d used the phrase _dating_ again. And they’d admitted to Rocky’s unceremonious outing of their relationship. But neither of them had actually said it out loud.

And enjoying one another here in the present was something altogether different than deciding that all this meant there was a future. That they had reconnected with the intent to _have_ a future.

Tommy sighed. The weight of whatever they’d collectively been thinking gnawing at him.

He rolled onto his back and covered his face with his arm.

“Heather’s pregnant.”

Kim stared back at him in shock. “What?”

He sighed. “That’s what the—the voicemail I got at the diner. She’s pregnant. And Greg he—I guess wants to marry her, and she wants to marry him. And she wants to renegotiate our custody terms after their baby is born.”

Kim propped her head up in her hand. “What do you—what do you mean renegotiate? Does she want to take Miles or—“

He pulled his arm away from his face and sat up fully. “I don’t know. She didn’t say. She might try to take Miles, she might want me to take him, I don’t know.”

Kim sat up as well, resting on her haunches. She stared at her lap dumbly. “She’s pregnant?”

He snickered. He inhaled sharply, tears forming as he drew in breath. A low, grotesque laughter rumbled in his chest.

“You know what the worst part of her message was?” He paused, almost daring her to ask him. She didn’t need to. He’d tell her anyway.

“How happy she sounded. How fucking excited she seemed.”

He was shaking as he rose from the bed. Pacing now like he might haul off and punch the wall any second. Kim couldn’t blame him if he did.

She watched him. Her face looked as miserable as his. Her heart broke for him.

“I just—I don’t deserve that, right? Like, that’s a cruel move, right? Am I that—did I hurt her that much? Is this my karma?”

He traced a furious line against the floor, stalking the room like a caged tiger.

“And now she wants to talk about Miles. I don’t know what she’s gonna say—and honestly, I don’t know what I want to hear. I was just getting used to the arrangement we have now. Like, what if she wants full custody? What do I with myself then? Or what if she wants to give up her custody, ya know? Start a brand new family with Greg? Like, what do I tell Miles? How do I explain to that beautiful kid that his mom gave him up?”

Kim shook her head. She spoke softly, anything to calm him and keep things in perspective. “You don’t know that. You don’t know what she wants…”

He stopped. He was glaring back at Kim, though they both knew it wasn’t her he was angry at.

“No obviously. And clearly I never did. I mean—she hated me, Kim. When she found out she was pregnant with Miles. I mean, she took every bit of anger and resentment out on me for nearly a year before that kid was born. I had to convince her to marry me. I had to beg her to keep the kid and marry me. God, why did I think that was ok? What the fuck was wrong with me? How did I not see how twisted this all was? How was I at all surprised it ended the way it did?”

He changed direction abruptly. He strode over to his closet and pulled down a leather overnight bag and tossed it on the bed before returning back to his closet.

“I need to—I need to get out of here. I’m gonna take Miles. I’m gonna take Miles and get out of here for a bit,” he said, scrambling around throwing a few shirts and pants into the bag.

“Wait a minute, Tommy, where are you going—“ Kim watched him as she sat on her knees on the mattress. He flew passed her and into the bathroom.

“I don’t know. I just—“ he reemerged carrying his shaving kit and toothbrush. He didn’t even know if he needed all this stuff. “I can’t be here right now, and I don’t want to be without my son, so—“

“Tommy, it’s five o’clock in the morning—“

He stopped. _Shit._ She was right. He hadn’t considered that. But still, he couldn’t stay there right now.

She grabbed ahold of his arm. “Let me come with you. Miles is asleep, I can watch him while you drive. Or I’ll drive and you can watch him, if you’d rather. But please—“

He leaned over and gave her a kiss. “Thank you. But I need to be alone for a minute.”

She climbed off the bed. “Then let me call Trini. I’ll sleep at her place tonight, ok? But don’t wake up Miles. Don’t take off right now. You’re upset.”

She pushed his frenzied packing aside and wrapped her arms around his waist. He sighed as she squeezed him and buried her head in his chest.

He floundered but finally accepted her hug. He rested his chin atop her head before placing a kiss in her hair.

“I’ll be fine. And he’ll be ok,” he assured her. “He’s a heavy sleeper— _usually.”_

He managed a small laugh as they both recalled a few inconvenient times that had proven untrue.

He gave her a sad smile and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I’ll probably just end up at my parents. If you need to find me before I get back.”

She shook her head, desperate to not feel completely helpless. “Can I least help you get him to the car? Pack his bags? What do you need me to do?”

He stroked her face. “Maybe—maybe just throw some snacks in a bag? In case he does wake up on the ride over?”

They shared a small laugh. She nodded. “Yes, of course. Should I be quiet in the kitchen or—“

He laughed. “There’s always a chance he’ll stay asleep if I can get him to the car undisturbed so…”

She nodded. “Got it. Quiet as a mouse.”

He smiled as she reached up and settled her lips onto his. They indulged themselves in the kiss for a moment.

She reluctantly pulled away and settled back down to the ground. She gave his hand one final squeeze before carefully opening the bedroom door and padded softly into the kitchen.

He looked down at his hastily assembled bag. The urgency of leaving had ebbed a touch, his anger and frustration not as blinding as it had been a few moments ago. Maybe he didn’t need to take off and escape everything. And it was selfish to disrupt his son needlessly.

Kim looked up as Tommy approached her in the dark. Her hand at the knob on a drawer.

“Hey,” she whispered. “I was gonna cut up some carrots, is that ok? I think I can do it quiet—“

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her hands flew up to rest on top of his.

“I’m not leaving,” he whispered back, “I shouldn’t wake up Miles. And I was just—I mean, I’m still all messed up but—I can’t just take off in the middle of the night.”

She stroked his arm and leaned back into him. “So, no carrots?”

He laughed quietly into her hair. “No carrots.”

She spun around to face him. “I think I should sleep in my own bed for the rest of the night.”

He frowned. “No, Kim. Don’t do that.”

She pulled him down to meet her, placing a loving kiss on his lips. “I think we both need a moment to be alone with our thoughts.”

His face stayed sullen. “I didn’t mean that I didn’t want—“

She smiled. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. I don’t feel rejected or anything. And I hope you don’t take this as me rejecting you. I just—I think we could both use a breather, for a minute.”

He nodded begrudgingly. His eyes wandered over to the counter where she’d pulled out the vegetables.

“Thank you,” he said.

“For what?”

He shrugged. “Just, for everything. For calming me down. For listening. For letting me get mad. For offering your help. Just, for everything.”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“God, I feel like I’ve sucked you into something you definitely didn’t sign up for—“

She grabbed his hands again and held them tightly. “Hey. I’m here, aren’t I? Whatever—whatever happens, I’m here. I’m with you.”

He gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah…”

She nodded firmly and released his hands once more. He stepped back to allow her room to clear the bags of veggies from the counter and return them to the fridge.

He sighed, spinning on his heels as he made his way back to his room, alone.

She glanced back at where he’d disappeared behind his door, briefly wondering if it was a dumb and unnecessary idea to sleep separately after all.

Yes. Even if it was just for tonight. The heaviness of everything they shared recently, the reasons she’d come back that he hadn’t even fully heard about yet, the implications of whatever was happening between them that they’d yet to actually acknowledge, their own wants and fears for the future, the news about Heather…

She inhaled sharply, suddenly aware that she had begun to tear up. She sniffled, clearing the unbidden drops before they could take hold. She glanced around the kitchen to make sure she’d put away everything for the time being.

Satisfied, she took one final sigh and headed off to the guest room, alone.

\---x---


	9. What I Needed to Come Back Here For

_Tommy’s House  
_ _Wednesday, July 4 th , 10:43am  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

“This never would have happened if Trini had planned it.” He called out from his bedroom.

“Jason asked for it. It was our favorite growing up.” She shouted back to him, the metallic clang of bowls being shuffled in their stacks chimed liked bells throughout the kitchen.

“What did you say you needed again?” He yelled.

Kim spun around the kitchen anxiously, trying to find all the utensils and things she’d need before Tommy returned from the store. If that ever happened.

Her eyes shot back to the clock on the wall. “The store is gonna close—“

“Grocery shopping on the fourth of July is the dumbest—

“Tommy please hurry up—“

“This damn bean dip better be worth it…” he muttered, shutting the door behind him as he entered the kitchen. He set his things down on the table, still tucking in his shirt.

She glanced back at him over her shoulder, setting up the bowls and measuring spoons on the counter.

“You’re sure you don’t need me to write it down for you?”

“No time. The store is gonna close,” He teased, moving to the back door to retrieve his keys.

She shot him a dirty look.

He laughed. “Kim, I got it. Hit me.”

She rolled her eyes. He nodded along as she paused in front of the sink and ticked off the things she’d need from the store.

Ever mindful of his notorious memory, Tommy began mumbling the items back to himself on a loop. Kim eyed him carefully.

Nodding, the list repeating over and over. He picked up his sunglasses and wallet from the table, crossed back to her, kissed her on the lips, and turned to leave.

“I’ll be back in bit, I love you,” he said.

He resumed his mumbling and heading out the kitchen.

Kim stood frozen in shock for several minutes.

_What the—_

Tommy reappeared. Kim blinked back at him dumbly, barely hearing him as he finally broke the silence.

“Did I just—“

He hadn’t even questioned it when he’d done it. As if he’d done it a thousand times. As if this is was routine.

Kim nodded. At least she thought she nodded. Her brain was still a bit scrambled.

He said nothing else, turning to leave once more.

She barely registered him leave as her hand flew to her face, her fingers absently tracing her lips. Her heart thumping in her chest.

\---x---

_Scott Residence  
_ _Wednesday, July 4 th, 2:05pm  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

“HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!”

Kim and Tommy were greeted by the loud shouts and welcomes of the whole gang as Jason held the door open at their arrival.

Kisses to the cheek, hugs, squeals of delight, high-fives were ablaze as everyone crowded right at the entrance to reunite with their friends. Howie and Vanessa ambling around by everyone’s feet.

They did this every time the fourth rolled around, as if most of them hadn’t just spent the last few days and weeks together already.

“Come in, come in!” Jason motioned with a wave of his arm. Tommy allowed Kimberly through the door first before following, Miles in tow.

“Sheeny!” Miles squealed, hands out as Trini reached for him. Tommy happily handed the boy off to his godmother before pressing the front door shut behind him.

Sheeny, as Miles had a time with her name, cooed excitedly as she smiled back at the boy.

“Who’s my guy? Who’s my guy?”

“Hey Kimmy,” Jason said, planting a kiss to her cheek.

  
“Hey,” she greeted in return. She caught Howie’s curious glance and smiled.

Jason pointed to the item in her hands. “Is that what I think it is?” he asked hopefully. Kim rolled her eyes.

“You’re lucky you’re my favorite,” She grumbled. He smiled and relieved her of the bowl, squeezing himself through the crowd to deliver it to the kitchen.

Zack hugged Kim tightly, swaying her in his arms.

Billy pulled back from his hug with Tommy as Kat walked up and greeted him next.

Trini wandered over to Howie and Vanessa by the sofa, setting Miles down so he could greet them.

Aisha pulled Zack off of Kim with a roll of her eyes, “Excuse me, it’s my turn now.”

Kim laughed heartily as she trapped Aisha in a tight hug, “Hi Ish.”

Rocky grabbed Tommy’s face in his hands and proceeded to give him a kiss on either cheek before diving into a mumbled Godfather impression.

“And may their first child, be a masculine child…”

“Shut up,” Tommy rolled his eyes as he pried Rocky’s hands off his face before giving the younger man a hug. “Good to see you again, bro,”

“You too, man.”

Billy and Kat exchanged their hugs with Kimberly before filtering off.

Jason returned a few seconds later, his arm held above the throng of people as his hand connected with Tommy’s .

Trini perched herself on the arm of the sofa. Laughing as she watched Aisha and Miles play a game of speed slap. She looked up in her reverie and caught Kim’s eye.

Kim mouthed something to her, slyly pointing in Tommy’s direction. Trini smirked and motioned with her a thumb over her shoulder.

“Kim, Aisha, could I get a hand with the kids real fast?” She didn’t wait. She lifted Howie and started for the den.

Kim inched her way through the crowd as Aisha nodded, hoisting Miles in her arms and followed. Kim snatched up Vanessa on her way.

Jason and Tommy watched the three girls head off for a moment before Jason turned back to face his friend.

“How’s it going, bro?” Jason asked.

Tommy nodded. “Good. Everything’s good.”

“Things still okay with Kim?”

Tommy’s voice hitched as he nodded, “Uh huh.”

Jason snickered. “You sure?”

Tommy balked. “Yeah, yeah. Nothing to worry about.”

“WHAT?!” Trini shrieked.

“Would you hush up?” Kim glared. Her eyes shot to the shuttered galley doors that divided them from the kitchen. They were hardly sound proof, even when shut.

Aisha stood back up from setting Miles down in the playpen with the twins.

“Wait, like, just now?” Aisha asked.

“Yes, like, a couple hours before we left,” Kim whispered harshly.

“And what did you say?”

Kim blustered. “Nothing. I was too stunned. He had to rush to the store to get the stuff for the dip. And then when he got back, I was in the shower and by the time I got out to make the food, he was getting Miles ready, and then it was time to leave.”

“And you guys didn’t talk about it in the car ride over?”

“Nope. Not a word.”

Aisha laughed. Trini shook her head in stunned glee.

Jason, Tommy ran into the den.

“What happened?”

“Is everything ok? The kids ok?”

The girls spun to see the two men staring back at them in concern.

Aisha sauntered past Tommy, a smirk firmly planted on her face. “You big mouth thirsty boy.”

She gave him two congratulatory slaps to his chest and headed back to the living room.

Kim rolled her eyes. _“And my subtly sucks?”_

Tommy watched Aisha go before turning back to face the others.

Jason locked eyes with his wife who had yet to wipe the shit-eating grin off her face.

Kim sighed and covered her face with her hand.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he realized what was happening.

For once, Jason seemed to be the last to know. “What the hell is going on?”

Suddenly, Trini was back to business. “Why don’t you and I start getting everything ready for dinner, yeah?”

She threaded an arm through Jason’s, pulling him away as he stumbled backward, the confused scowl he wore never leaving his face until he and Trini disappeared down the hall.

Tommy laughed as he watched them leave before he turned back to nervously glance at Kim.

Her head was down, but he could see she had a smile on her face.

He cleared his throat and her head shot up to face him.

She bit her lip before releasing a small chuckle.

“I’m sorry,” she said, motioning back to where Trini had dragged off Jason.

“I shouldn’t have—God, you’d think by now I’d have the guts to face you after all these years instead of gossiping with my girlfriends like we’re twelve.”

He laughed. “Yeah, well…”

Miles, Howie, and Vanessa looked up as Tommy waved at them. They all waved back before resuming their block tower.

Kim got distracted by the children too for a moment, smiling absently as the toddlers busied themselves.

“You—you caught me off guard, I guess.” Kim said after another minute.

Tommy nodded with a wry laugh. “Caught _myself_ off guard…”

“I know we’ve been—“ Kim started. “I mean it shouldn’t have been _that_ surprising I just—“

He nodded along. “I wasn’t even thinking, Kim. I’m sorry.”

Her face fell ever so slightly at his calm tone. “Right. Like, force of habit?” She offered.

He snickered. “Sure.” They both knew that hadn’t been entirely the case.

“Hey you two,” Trini reappeared suddenly. “Jason’s gonna start firing up the grill outside, we’re all headed that way.”

Kim and Tommy gave each other one last look before turning to address their friend.

Kim spoke up first. “How can we help?”

Trini was at the playpen, unlatching the safety gate as the kids tumbled out.

“Umm, maybe see if Billy or Aisha could use a hand carrying stuff out to the porch?”

Trini didn’t wait as Howie and Vanessa toddled out from their plastic confine, Miles just a few steps behind them.

Kim nodded and smiled as she watched Trini and her kids for a second before heading off toward the kitchen.

Tommy bent down to grab Miles. “Hey buddy, you hungry?”

Trini knelt in front of her own children, producing a pack of wipes from her pocket. She captured their hands in her own before moving to their faces. Vanessa and Howie giggled as Trini tidied them up.

Miles yawned in Tommy’s arms nodding to the man, “I’m want hamburger.”

“Okay bud, we will get you a hamburger,” Tommy said. “Uncle Jase is gonna make a special one just for you.”

Trini stood up, offering Tommy a baby wipe. He smiled and took it, playfully shoving it in Miles’ face.

Trini watched Howie and Vanessa wander off toward the patio. Kat and Zack opened the door to greet them. The sounds of the party beginning outside muffled once more as the door swung shut.

“Down, please” Miles said as Tommy lowered him to the ground.

Miles ran off toward the door, nearly running into Kim and Aisha as they made their way to the door.

“Hi honey, you coming outside?” Kim asked as the boy stopped at her legs.

“Uncle Jase is I’m special hamburger,” he said.

She laughed and nodded, shifting the cups and plates in her hands, “Yeah, okay.”

Aisha laughed and shook her head as she propped the door open with her hip.

Kim snickered as she looked back to where Trini and Tommy stood.

Tommy gave her a small smile as she blinked at him before guiding Miles outside.

Trini cleared her throat. “So. Kim played that cooler than I thought she would.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “It just came out, Trini.”

“So you didn’t mean to say it?”

He sucked on his teeth. “I’m sure you’d tell me that was bullshit, even if I did.”

Trini laughed. “True. I always have my Freudian-slip spiel at the ready.”

Tommy snorted. “Yeah well, I don’t think that’s necessary this time.”

“You still didn’t answer the question.”

“Did I mean to say it?” Tommy shrugged, “No. But I meant what I said.”

Trini gave him a wry smile.

“I don’t know what Kim’s _actual_ expectations are, we haven’t talked about that. But watching everything she’s gone through in the last few years, it’s like she’s been holding her breath. She’s more careful around you. Afraid almost. Not actually _of you_ of course but—when she met Erik, I think she thought he’d just be another boyfriend, honestly. Turns out he’s everything she used to describe Mark in that stupid letter she sent you _. Erik’s_ the wonderful, caring guy. But she had to make Mark look like a superhero to justify breaking up with you. Cause before that, who could compete?”

Trini paused. Tommy eyed her carefully.

Trini spared him a look. One that she hoped he could intuit. “When she saw you at my wedding, it freaked her out.”

He merely nodded. “I know, she told me—“

Trini sighed. “No, Tommy. I mean, it _really_ threw her. Not just the fact that she hadn’t known, and felt blindsided, but that it was _you,_ with a wife and expecting a kid. You’d taken yourself out of the running, so to speak.”

He frowned. He wasn’t sure he understood why Trini felt the need to tell him this. It didn’t sound like anything new.

Trini shook her head determinedly. “I was so angry when she told me about Mark. I thought, how _dare_ this guy. All those wonderfully romantic notions that Kim always had. I was so afraid that he’d ruined all that for her. I mean, they were whimsical and melodramatic but, _still so very Kim_. He didn’t, thankfully. In fact I think it strengthened her resolve that a handsome prince did still exist somewhere. She was just afraid she didn’t deserve him anymore.”

Tommy scowled. The thought of Mark still angered him too. The merest notion that _anyone_ had laid a hand on Kim…let alone someone she’d given herself to, it made his blood boil.

Trini shrugged. “So she said yes when Erik asked her to marry him. If it couldn’t be _you,_ Erik was absolutely her redemption.”

Tommy shook his head. He hated the thought that Kim felt herself unworthy somehow. His mother’s thoughts of settling and consolation rang in his head. He’d hardly heard Trini’s last thought.

_“But then you got divorced...”_ she said.

Tommy shot Trini a look. His face fell as realization hit him.

She turned to face him directly in that moment. A tired but sly smile crept up on her face.

“I know the world didn’t need to stop for you to tell her you loved her. It’s not some sudden revelation you had. But it means something different now. And if you want her, honestly and truly, then tell her that. Cause I swear to god, if you just sit back and brood, she’s gonna run. Straight into someone else’s arms.”

Tommy nodded. Though the full impact of what Trini had just revealed had yet to truly hit him.

She snickered, pushing him ahead of her toward the patio.

“I do not brood,” he glared over his shoulder.

She laughed, giving him another shove toward the door.

“Yes you do,” she said, “It’s what all of you knights in shining armor-types do.”

She went ahead of him and walked out onto the patio to greet their friends, leaving Tommy on the other side of the glass, contemplating the advice she’d just given him.

He looked up to observe the group outside. Jason wrapped an arm around Trini and kissed her temple while he continued to grill everyone’s orders.

Aisha and Rocky were nearly on top of each other in one of the giant papasan chairs that sat in the corner. Billy and Kat laughed and giggled at whatever the other was saying.

Zack played with Howie and Vanessa as they sat around the low table and cushions in the center, the adults laughing as much as the kids were as they happily munched on their food.

And then there was Kim, kneeling behind one of the cushions off to the side with Miles in front of her. Her arms hovered around him as she tried to cut his burger into smaller chunks. The boy squirmed and clapped as he impatiently grabbed a chunk off his plate with his tiny fingers and shoved it into his mouth. Kim said something to him that made him laugh.

Tommy shook his head and smiled as Kim clearly moved to admonish the boy for talking with his mouth full.

Now the weight of Trini’s words began to penetrate. And in that, he suddenly heard all things she didn’t say. How Kim had held onto her feelings for him much in the same way he had for her, even as they tried to build new and separate lives without the other.

He heard that Kim still viewed him as that handsome prince on a white horse who comes to rescue her. But also that she’d been nervous. Nervous that he might no longer trust her with his heart.

It seemed a strange sort of conclusion to come to, given all that he and Kim had shared when she’d first arrived this summer. He thought she’d been plenty forthcoming and honest about their past and this new direction their relationship had taken.

But then he remembered the last part of Trini’s advice. That telling Kim he loved her meant something different now.

Though they’d made strong their still very palpable desire for each other, though they’d confessed to having thought about the what-ifs, their regrets in passing. Though they’d whispered plenty of sweet-nothings in the other’s ear… up until today they’d not actually said the very words that might otherwise be plainly obvious.

Telling Kim that he loved her meant that she might in fact deserve that grand fantasy after all. That whatever cosmic force that kept them separated, had granted them a reprieve. Telling Kim that he loved her meant he could trust her again. That his faith in her, in _them_ , could be restored. Maybe that was all she’d needed to know from the start.

_Maybe that was all he’d needed too._

He looked up as Miles ran to the door and tried to open it.

Tommy smiled down at the boy from the other side of the glass.

“Daddy, come out!” Miles said, his tiny hands tugging on the handle to no avail.

Tommy lightly tapped on the glass. “Oh no!” He feigned, “Buddy, I can’t get out! I’m stuck!”

“Okay, Daddy,” Miles said seriously. “I’m gonna open it.”

He nodded encouragingly as Miles threw both his arms around the curved handle and tried to pull, his small body nearly dangling in the air.

He slid back down to the ground with a hop. Tommy sank to the ground, obscuring his legs behind the vertical blinds.

“Agh! Miles! Oh no! Help! I think something’s got me!” Tommy cried out, rolling back and forth in an imaginary struggle.

Miles’ eyes bugged as he threw himself against the glass, “Oh no!”

Tommy scooted more of his body behind the curtains, as if the monster was dragging him away.

Miles ran back to the table and tugged at Kimberly’s hand, “Save Daddy! It’s got him. Help!”

Kimberly stared back him wide eyed as he pulled her up and over to the door.

Still holding her hand, Miles pointed with his other one as Tommy thrashed and rolled around on the floor behind the glass.

Kim stifled a laugh as she watched Tommy cry for help, his hand latched to his own neck. She shook her head in amusement as he lay on the other side of the glass, making absurd shrieking noises while he pantomimed wrestling some fearsome creature.

Miles pressed his face to the glass, “Kimbree’s here to help.”  
  


Tommy looked up at her and smiled, “Oh thank goodness.”

Kim bit her lip as Miles turned to her and pointed at the handle.

“Kimbree can you open this? This is how we get Daddy.”

Kim nodded and moved to the handle.

“Okay Miles, let’s do it together, ok? Let’s save Daddy,” she told him.

Miles nodded.

“Okay you push real hard and I’m gonna try and open the door ok? On three!”

“One, two, three!” She pushed down on the handle with an exaggerated grunt as Miles’ palms pressed against the glass.

The door, _naturally,_ swung open. Tommy barely had time to roll out of the way and scramble to his feet as Miles hurriedly crossed the threshold.

Kim stumbled as the boy rushed past her, and started to tip.

Tommy swept down and caught her by the elbow, swinging her back up to face him. His hand grabbed her waist to steady her as he pulled her back up to her feet.

Miles crashed into them, his arms wrapping tightly around Tommy’s legs.

“Nice catch,” she breathed with a relieved chuckle. Her palms braced against his chest.

He smiled down at her, “Anytime.”

“Daddy, say thank you. We saved you.”

Both adults were staring at each other. Tommy’s hands still holding onto her arm and hip. Kim’s still clutching his shirt.

“Daddy, Kimbree saved you!” Miles said again. Tugging on the man’s pant leg.

Tommy laughed as his son’s words echoed in his ears. Kim smiled up at him.

“She sure did, buddy.”

\---x---

“Bye you guys!”

“Love you!”

“Thank you again!”

“Happy fourth, you guys!”

“See you soon!”

“Kim, I’ll call you in the morning!”

“Sounds good, Ish! Love you!”

“Bye Tommy!”

“Bye Miles!”

“Bye!”

“Say bye, buddy!”

“Bye!”

The white door suctioned shut as Kim sighed, spinning around and clambered down the front steps.

Tommy had a sleepy Miles in his arms, the boy’s hands wrapped around his neck as he carried him to the car.

Tommy beeped his truck to unlock the door as he bent over to set Miles into his car seat in the back.

Kim came up behind him, her hand at the door as Tommy reemerged. She stole a quick glance at Miles before shutting the backseat driver’s side.

Tommy moved to grab the latch of his door before Kim’s hand stopped him.

He turned to look at her.

“Can we talk when we get back?“

He nodded. “Yeah, absolutely.”

Kim nodded. “Okay. Sorry to even ask—“

He laughed. “No, I get it. Yeah, we should—talk.”

She bit her lip and gave him playful nudge. “Okay,” she said, turning to head over to the passenger side.

Tommy caught her by the elbow and spun her back to him. Her gasp died in her throat as Tommy’s mouth descended on hers.

They pulled apart slowly, chests heaving. Her arms sliding off his neck to rest on his chest while he pressed his forehead against hers.

“What was that for?” She whispered.

He said nothing for the longest time. His breathing ragged and heavy as he pulled her into a tight hug and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“No reason, I just—I love you,” he panted, “I just wanted you to know that.”

She nodded, holding onto him tighter. “I love you too.”

\---x---

_Tommy’s house  
_ _Thursday, July 5 th 12:56am  
_ _Reefside, CA  
_ _2010_

He rounded the corner quietly, padding barefoot into the kitchen as Kimberly sank into her chair with a mug of tea in her hand.

“I just boiled some water,” she explained, holding up her drink as evidence. “I didn’t know if it was too late to make coffee so...”

He smiled and moved to the cabinet to grab his own mug. “Tea is great, thank you.”  
  


She hiked her leg up in her seat, pulling the large shirt she wore over her knee as she took a careful sip of her tea, holding the mug with both hands.

Tommy set the kettle down as he finished filling his mug, reaching across the counter to grab a bag from the jar.

“Is Miles all tucked in?” Kim asked.

Tommy nodded as came over to sit across from her. “Yep. Out like a light. He had a very exciting day.”

Kim laughed. “He doesn’t like the Fireworks,” she said.

“No. They’re not his favorite,” he chuckled.

“Too loud? I saw him covering his ears.”

Tommy nodded. “He likes the colors but—“

“Is there ever a way to watch them silently?”

Tommy shrugged. “If we watched them from here, maybe. I’m far enough from anybody else they don’t bother us. But Jase and Trini’s place is like, Roman candle central.”

“Headphones? I don’t really like the squeaky squealy ones much, either.”

Tommy snickered. “Yeah. I used to get more excited about them when I was younger. I think I just liked setting stuff on fire…” he shrugged.

Kim snorted. “Boys.” Her mind stayed on Miles. “Sheeny,” she mused with a soft laugh.

He laughed. “He still has a hard time with the T-R sounds.”

“And Kimbree,” she added, “I guess I do have a lot of syllables in my name.”

“Two syllables seems to be his limit at the moment,” Tommy nodded. “Except hamburger. He can say that.”

Kim gave a short laugh.

“So you said you wanted to talk?” he said.

Kim sighed audibly. _There it was._

Though now that it was here, she felt a little nauseous. “Yeah…” she whispered.

He cleared his throat. “Can I say something first?” They both chuckled nervously.

_Bless him._ She nodded. His fidgeted as he tried to wind himself up.

“My mom—well, she kinda laid into me the other day….” He snickered at the memory.

“She got me thinking about some things that—well, let’s just say I have some work to do. Anyway. This whole time, I’ve been so ready to argue with everyone. Ready to defend myself. Ya know, from everybody constantly telling me I should just get off my ass and tell you how I feel—”

Kim blushed. She had been given a similar speech too. Though her version probably looked less like ribbing and taunting than his had.

He sighed. “And—it came out the way it did cause, I didn’t even have to think about it. It just, made sense to say it. And it’s not like you didn’t already know how I felt. I mean—at least I think, right?”

She nodded.

He mimicked her movement. Hands shooting up to rub his temples. He hadn’t meant to start rambling. In his head his thoughts were very clear. But now suddenly having to say them to Kim directly, it was a bit of a mess. He didn’t want to explain himself anymore. But he also knew she deserved one.

“But—Trini she—she told me about why—how you came back here this summer because—“

He shook his head and let out a strangled laugh. He was a bit out of his mind at the moment.

“Uh, sorry. I’m—I’m nervous.“

_Was that his voice?_ He hardly recognized it at the moment. His reserve crumbled as his eyes began to water. His heart warred with his brain, and both sides came spilling out.

“Every woman I’ve ever loved, I’ve let go. I’ve let her go. I never wanted to stand in someone’s way. I never wanted to be the reason someone was unhappy. And when I finally tried to be selfish and fight for what I wanted, it all came crashing down on me. I held on to Heather every way I could think of. And she ended up hating me. I can’t—I won’t do that again. I don’t know exactly what you came here hoping for. And I know I shouldn’t let Heather, or any of that spoil the chance—but, Kim. I’m worn out. I’m cynical, and I’m bitter. And I don’t— I don’t know—there is no guarantee here. I can say I love you and that I want you until I’m blue in the face, but—you mean too damn much to me to ruin—it’s a lot of pressure.”

He could read her face. She was shocked. She was embarrassed. He could kick himself for having made her feel like that. _God dammit, Why had he ended his thought like that?_

Her head kept nodding as if she was listening. But it was more like a reflex. She’d definitely heard him. All too well. An army of guilt and foolishness invaded her thoughts. And she suddenly felt incredibly stupid.

She suddenly realized why her head was shaking. She was bawling. Her eyes were burning. Her face felt flushed. Unrelenting tears fell past her lids so as to blind her, the smallest mercy she supposed, as she couldn’t see him while she cried.

“I’m sorry. I never wanted you to feel any sort of pressure. I didn’t come here to trap you or railroad you, I just—I came here to make sure of my feelings, ya know? Make sure I wasn’t just acting on some stupid jealousy or some childish fantasy that my brain couldn’t let go of—“

He grabbed her face and pulled her to him. He kissed her desperately. Both of them pouring every last ounce of desire and heartbreak and fear and hope they had. As if the world might crumble at any moment and this was their last chance to tell each other how they felt.

He heard her ragged breaths even as their mouths consumed the other. Her anguished sobs haunted his ears. He pulled back to cup her face in his hands.

“Hey,” he breathed. “Hey look at me.”

She turned away from him, as if it wasn’t too late to hide her crying. Her lip was shaking furiously and it broke his heart. He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever seen her look so terrified and lost.

“Hey…beautiful, look at me.”

Her held her chin and pulled her to face him. His face blotched and red from his own tears that streaked his face. He found himself again. The sobering thought of watching her cry had freed him from the fog.

He sounded more composed than he felt, and he spoke barely above a whisper. He was certainly able to get out his words more easily than she at the moment. It made him no less desperate to convey all the emotions he was overcome with.

“I love you. And I will always love you. But I don’t know how to give you everything you want anymore. I don’t know that it’s even what _I_ want anymore. I want _you_ , I know that. But I would never forgive myself if you ended up resenting me—“

She shook her head frantically. Trying in vain to catch her breath.

“No. Tommy, I will never hate you. I will never resent you. I know. I know how hard you try, to make other people happy. Even at the cost of your own, I know. And I know that if we want to be together and it somehow doesn’t work, I’ll still know that you tried. But at least we tried. Please…you fought for the wrong person. “

He felt like he’d been sucker punched. He was furious at her accusation and yet the words suddenly sounded as though he’d never heard them before…

_“I fought for the wrong person_ …”

His eyes bore into her. He needed her to understand. “Kim, what if you change your mind?”

She wouldn’t hear of it. “What if you change _yours_?”

He fired back.

“You’re right. I might. But I can’t promise you I will. And if there’s things you know you want, and I’m standing here telling you I don’t know how to—

She plowed on as if she hadn’t heard him.

“I knew—I knew if I came back here—if I could say goodbye to you when everything was over—then maybe I was just kidding myself. But— the thought of walking away from you—of not being with you— I don’t want that. I don’t know how to do that anymore. It’s not the marriage, or kids that I need. None of it would matter without you, anyway. You’re what I want. You’re _who_ I want. This—this is what I needed to come back here for. I don’t—I don’t want to say goodbye to you. I can’t. I can’t do it again. So, stop. Stop being so goddamn noble, please. I am begging you.”

He held her fiercely. He couldn’t lose her again anymore than she could him.

\---x---


	10. Be Good

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Jump. In case you miss it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own the song referenced.

_Angel Grove Botanical Gardens  
_ _Sunday, June 10 th, 4:25pm  
_ _Angel Grove, CA  
_ _2013_

The fresh soil rolled from the tiny mound she’d created. The starkness of the blackish hue contrasted against the dull sable color of the older dirt around it.

She should have watered this section before replanting anything. But she’d wanted to replace the damaged bush as soon as possible. A family that had come in earlier this afternoon, their horde of rowdy kids running in circles along the Native Plants of California path. One of the older kids had lost his footing while avoiding his younger sibling’s bouncy figure eights. The kid’s heel crushed the protective fencing that bordered each display. As the shoe came down, it caught the stems of a Catalina Mariposa Lily planted there, breaking them in half.

The plant was not terribly rare, but it was still important that the Garden maintained and preserved what inventory they acquired. And she hated to see anything get damaged. She’d worked too hard to maintain these exhibits.

She briefly wished the Gardens had a _you break it, you buy it_ , policy for unruly patrons. But if they couldn’t be trusted not to kill it while it was safely in the ground, she shuddered to think how much of her work would be squandered if left in the care of irresponsible tourists.

She kneaded the dirt around the newly planted flower, clapping her gloves and knocking off the excess crumbs. A shadow suddenly loomed over her, the tall silhouette stretching over the area wherein she knelt.

“You’re shift’s over. What are you still doing here?” The shadow said.

She looked up and gave the man a guilty smile.

He held out his hand. She grabbed the rake and spade in one hand, accepting his proffered hand with her other. He pulled her from the ground.

She brushed the dirt off the seat of her shorts. He gently swiped her sleeves, pretending to wipe away any other dust. It was unlikely any had fallen there.

She spared him a glance. His hands rested on her shoulders.

He smirked. “You didn’t have to replace that today, you know.”

She rolled her eyes, tucking the tools under her arm to remove her gloves.

“It’s not gonna go extinct,” he added. “Besides, you shouldn’t be out in the sun too long.”

“It’s only been an hour,” she assured him.

“Yeah well, you’re still off the clock,” he reminded her. He picked up the bag of soil.

He started down the path and offered his arm. She accepted.

“Don’t think you’re gonna get any overtime for this,” he told her. “They can’t afford it now that I’m back here full time.”

She shook her head. “I don’t expect to be paid. I just couldn’t stand to see that plant sitting there like that. The poor thing was bent in half.”

He shook his head in amusement. “I love that you care so much.”

She bit her lip, “I just—this way I know it’s taken care of while I’m gone. Now I can leave and not have to spend the whole summer worrying if that lily ever got replaced.”

They stopped before the supply shed, pushing back the metal panels and stepped inside. He held out his hand in silent request.

She handed him the tools. He set the bag of soil into a wheelbarrow before replacing the tools in their slots. She tossed her gloves onto the bag.

“You could have just left me a note or something. I would have made sure someone replaced it,” he said.

She snickered. “That’s not your job. Mr. Big Shot Director of Sustainability.”

“ _And Facilities,_ “ he added playfully. “It may not be my job directly, but I’m important enough to get shit done.”

She smiled back at him, folding her arms across her chest. “Erik Matheson, Director of getting shit done…. _and Facilities.”_

They both laughed. He motioned for her to exit as he followed, closing the shed behind them.

“Everything will still be here when you get back,” he said. “I mean, _if and when_ you do come back—”

He gestured at her stomach.

She bit her lip and looked down at the swollen paunch that had only recently grown large enough to block the view of her feet. She hadn’t gained a lot of weight, despite being nearly seven months along. She still felt pretty mobile. She briefly worried if there was something wrong. But all of her tests and exams had come back positive. She was on track to having a perfectly healthy baby girl.

She caught him smiling. A genuine grin that exposed his dimples. And though the skin near his lids crinkled, also a sure sign of earnest, there was the smallest hint of sadness in his actual gaze.

“Come on,” he instructed, “You’re running late. It’s after four.”

Never one to dwell, Erik led them down the path once more. She followed. They reached the portico marked _STAFF_.

The icy air conditioning hit her skin as he ushered her inside. He came up behind her, hands on her shoulders.

“You taking off right away?” he asked.

He didn’t wait for a reply. She watched him as he headed down the hall, where she knew his office was.

“Umm, I’ll probably just freshen up and then go.”

He nodded, motioning behind her. “Something came for you while you were outside planting. Left it in your office.”

She smiled in thanks. He smiled back, shoving a hand in his pocket as the other came up to scratch the back of his head. A few errant strands of his dirty blonde hair fell into his face, disrupting the short ponytail he wore.

His hair had gotten longer in the last three years. A testament to the more terrene schedule he now followed. He’d always kept it short, the ease befitted his globetrotting lifestyle, and just his whole outlook on things in general.

Now that he’d been given a permanent residency here at the Gardens, he’d found he didn’t need to keep his appearance regulation. It was rare he travelled abroad anymore. And certainly no longer in regions where he might encounter ticks or lice or any number of the unpleasant but practical reasons he’d had for keeping his hair short.

He scratched his chin. He still shaved. That was one habit he couldn’t let go of. He’d resisted a beard much for the same reasons he’d cut his hair. But in a rare streak of vanity he’d thought he looked better without facial hair. She couldn’t disagree. His face was too handsome to hide.

His brows knit in a furrow. He seemed to be considering something serious. Kim licked her lips anxiously. She didn’t want to be rude, but it was after four now. She’d thrown off her schedule enough as it was.

“Erik—“ she started. He head shot up to look at her. She smiled bashfully.

He understood. “Yeah. Sorry. Spaced out there for a second—“

They shared a laugh.

“The Garden will be okay without you,” he said. He spared her a small smile.

She flashed a grateful one in return. She knew what he was saying.

He headed down the hall. She blinked and headed for her office.

She flipped the lights, shrieking in surprise. “Oh my god!”

“KIMBERLY!” “SURPRISE!”

She clutched her chest. Fear became pleasant shock as her sneaky guests smiled back at her, popping up from behind the stacks of boxes piled in the corridor.

The boy was the first to run to her. She greeted him with open arms. His head rested against her distended belly.

“Hi honey, how are you? I missed you.”

“M’good. Missed you too. Daddy drove so we could come get you.”

She laughed at Miles’ extended explanation. He spoke in full sentences now, her name fully pronounceable, too. He’d grown up so much. But as he looked at her, grinning through a couple missing teeth, still sporting a full head of brown curly hair, he looked very like the toddler she’d first met three years ago.

She ran a hand over his head.

“Hey Kimmie.” Jason’s said. She looked up and smiled. Miles released her to make room for the older man.

“Hi, Jase.”

He hugged her side. “I’m following you guys back in your car.”

“Oh, are you? Well, glad I was informed of this beforehand.”

He laughed. “Do I need to clear off your seats, floorboards, or we good this time?”

She rolled her eyes. “No. My car is cleaned out, thank you very much. But you will definitely have to adjust the seat.”

He snickered. “Well, I already knew that, _stretch.”_

She gave him a playful slap. “And put it back when you get out. It’s hard enough for me right now without having to slide that stupid thing all the way back up.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed.

“And don’t mess with my radio.”

He rolled his eyes.

Kim looked around. “Umm, so, not to state the obvious but, where’s—“

“In your chambers, m’lady.” He thumbed to the office door.

Her office was technically two spaces, one long room and a foyer. As she was now the Native Plants Collections Coordinator and Supervisor, she got a private office that reflected her position. She hardly used the corridor. Though it was nice to have the storage space. And she could keep a small array of her favorite specimens bred for house plantdom. They were just pretty to look at.

Her actual office, was nearly empty now. All that remained was a desk, a computer and chair, a lamp, and a floor pillow. Everything else was packed.

She pushed the door open. Speaking of pretty things to look at.

Her eyes fell upon the man standing in front of her desk, his back turned. He futzed with cord of the lamp.

His head shot up, he smiled back at her.

“Hello, handsome,” she said.

He pulled her further into the space as she kicked the door shut on her way.

Careful not to crush her, he stood with arms extended as he gently cupped her face.

She pouted. “How you gonna kiss me from over there?”

He closed the distance. He lowered his head, pulling her face to meet his.

Her hands wrapped around his head, fingers raking through his hair as she held him. Their lips crashed together in languid swipes, before parting wider. A soft moan escaped Kim’s throat as their tongues danced lazily together. Tommy released a low growl, each of them smiling beneath the embrace.

He broke away. An blissful grin firmly in place. He swooped back for another quick and playful kiss. And then another. And another.

She laughed as he stood back to look at her, his hands about her hips.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” she said.

“I missed you,” he added, his smile never dropping.

“I missed you too.”

He snuck another kiss. She laughed and smoothed his brow.

“Did you see Miles and Jase?” he asked. Of course she had. He nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

“Yes, I saw them.” She giggled. He covered her throat with tiny kisses. She tilted her neck to allow him better access.

“We came up to bring you back,” he whispered in her ear.

Her brow furrowed as she tore her head back. “Were you guys waiting here this whole time?”

He gave her a goofy smile. “It’s okay. We thought you’d be done by three, but obviously we weren’t gonna leave without you—“

Kim cringed. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. If I had known you were coming I wouldn’t hav—“

He kissed her again. Her hands shot up to hold his face.

“It’s okay,” he said again.

A bittersweet thought occurred to her just then. Realizing that someone must have shown them to her office.

“Erik let you in,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

It had been three years since she and Erik officially broke up.

When Kim returned to Angel Grove after that fateful summer, Erik already knew what awaited him. It was sad, both of them sobbing by the end of it. It was not unlike the emotional maelstrom she’d had with Tommy towards the end of her stay, except that, it was Tommy she’d be returning to.

Erik, as ever, understood and respected her decision. He had blessed her trip to Reefside in the first place. He was upset, sure, but not angry. Regretful, maybe a little. But only that her investigation had resulted in their separation. He loved her. And she loved him. But she also loved someone else more.

Erik couldn’t fault her for how she felt. It was a useless thing to do. And he wouldn’t begrudge them if she and Tommy wanted to be together. Anything else was just cruel, and also senseless as far as he saw it.

He viewed the world a lot like he viewed his job. Erik had been in the business of preserving and maintaining plants and flowers from all over the world for many years. Rescuing them from bad or unsustainable environments and transporting them to safer locations so that they had a chance to flourish and grow to their fullest potential. Though sometimes his work didn’t even require taking a specimen out of its own environment. Sometimes his job was to simply ensure that the existing space around the plant was adapted to accommodate it.

Always with the plant’s best interest in mind. It helped nothing to impose anything on these botanical creatures. Closely observing what the plants needed. _Listening,_ as Erik had called it, anticipating potential future issues, and adjusting expectations as new information presented itself.

Erik knew his own worth, and it made little sense to him to force someone to be with him if they didn’t want to. He deserved someone who was as crazy for him as he was for them. He had hoped it could be Kim. He had no doubt the affection they’d shared. But like any other precious living thing he cared for, it hardly mattered what he wanted. The most important consideration was making sure the plant was happy.

Kim had come back to Reefside that same year, near December. Tommy and Kim announced their relationship officially to the small group that had gathered together, though it hardly seemed necessary. Most of the gang already knew about everything that had transpired over the summer. And those that didn’t just assumed it was happening anyway, whenever it happened.

Heather had had a miscarriage, sometime back in October of that first summer. But she and Greg were still to be married. The grief she’d felt from the loss and all the complications that had come from her relationship with Tommy had broken her. She wanted a clean slate. She relinquished all rights to him and by the following March, Miles was solely in the care of his father.

By the summer of 2011, Kim had been offered the Collections job she current held, though it would require her to stay in Angel Grove through her first year while the new exhibit was established. After that, she’d have a whole team of underlings and interns at her disposal whose only job was to maintain the exhibit for her.

She accepted the terms, foregoing the reunion. Only this time, it didn’t feel like she was missing out. The gang had decided to only meet up for the fourth of July, which would require most of them to stay for a week. Tommy and Miles came to visit Kim as long as they were able.

In February of 2012, on Kimberly’s 33rd birthday, Tommy surprised her with two amazing, if not unorthodox proposals.

He was still gun shy on the whole marriage gig. He knew there were very practical reasons to make their relationship official from a legal standpoint. But those reasons could wait. They certainly had nothing to prove. They had loved each other for nearly fifteen years. That was a hell of a lot longer than most actual marriages, even if they hadn’t been together all that time. It was miraculous, really. A wedding would just be a glorified and expensive brag post at this point.

Tommy first asked her to consider adopting Miles, so that she would be legally recognized as the boy’s guardian, subject to change in the event of marriage or otherwise.

The other proposition, in case the prospect of being an adoptive mother wasn’t already a heady enough concept to digest, was that he was ready and willing, whenever she was, as long as she still was, to have more children.

Adopting Miles was a no brainer, though ironically, potentially harder to achieve than the other. But they’d filed for the request almost immediately. Normally, the biggest hurdle would have been obtaining the biological parents’ permission, if not the child’s own consent. As Miles was still very much a minor, and Heather had already terminated her own rights, the process turned out to be a much easier one than expected. And though Tommy was under no obligation to do so, he still discussed the possibility with all parties beforehand. There would be no secret vendettas, confusion, or surprises that way.

And as for having more children, well—Kimberly had needed a minute to think on it. Adjust to her newfound role as pseudo stepmom. Maybe that was enough for now.

That lasted less than a year. Sometime around Labor Day, which Kim found hysterically apropos, she had announced she’d stopped taking her birth control. Tommy wasted no time. And then a few weeks before Christmas she discovered she was pregnant.

They were still living separately, she in Angel Grove and he in Reefside at the beginning of 2013. But with her now expectant condition, it made the most sense to establish a more unified arrangement.

Having paranoid flashes of déjà vu, Tommy offered to find a new suitable home in Reefside. Kim told him he was being a ninny, a playful reprimand she’d picked up from his mother in the last few years. There may come a time when they’d need to upgrade to a bigger space. But for now, it seemed fraught with needless concerns over history repeating.

She’d put in a request for leave at the Gardens about three months ago. As her current job only required her to be on the grounds in case of emergency, they’d granted it. Mostly under the auspices of maternity, though most of the staff knew she probably wouldn’t be returning in any official capacity.

She had started packing her office as soon as it was settled that she and Tommy would move in together. What she hadn’t managed to already bring over, she’d stored in the boxes up front in the foyer where Miles and Jason had greeted her.

Her potted plant nursery would remain, though she was taking a few succulents home. They travelled the easiest, and Miles had shown an interest in helping her in the garden so she thought the hardy plants might be an easy foray into teaching him how to care for another living thing.

The computer was company owned, and she didn’t want the desk. The only things left that she needed were the pillow, if she found it precious enough, the photo on her desk, and of course the beautiful man that stood before her currently.

Tommy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small but thick envelope.

“Erik asked me to give you this,” he said, handing her the parcel.

Kim eyed the missive carefully. It was hefty enough that it may have contained more than just written correspondence. It was also entirely possible that the letter included therein was just that long. Though that seemed less likely. Erik wasn’t taciturn by any means, but he wasn’t all that verbose either.

Kim turned the card in her hands.

“Any idea what’s in it?” Tommy asked.

_“Dear Kim, this is the hardest letter I’ve ever had to write—“_ She muttered darkly.

Tommy smirked. “Somehow I doubt he’d ever refer to you as his sister.”

Kim snickered. They’d both come a long way from that pivotal moment in their relationship. The scars from which had very much healed, though the memory of it remained. _Forgiven but not forgotten, perhaps_.

“Did you two get a chance to talk at all or—“ She wondered.

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, we parked near the back, next to the employee lot. We figured we’d surprise you when you were headed out. Erik found us. Let us in thinking you’d be here. When you weren’t, we talked for a bit and then he said he’d be right back, that he knew where to find you.”

Kim frowned. “Some rude child broke one of my lilies.”

Tommy laughed. “He said there had been an _accident_ earlier. I freaked out at first but then he explained that was just lingo for a garden mishap.”

Kim snorted, “Plant down.”

Tommy mimicked the static snap of a walkie talkie, holding the mimed object to his face. “Bravo team, this is White Falcon, we got a uh…broken Lily situation here down at the Grove. Plant down. I repeat. Plant down. Bravo team do you copy?”

Kim shook her head, “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

He shrugged and let slip the sound effect one more time. “White Falcon over and out.”

She laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

He bent down to kiss her stomach. He smoothed his hand across it.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

She ran her fingers through his hair. “Good. I’ve been taking it easy, as promised.”

He addressed the bump. “If your mom gets anymore sun while you’re in there, you gonna be tanner than me.”

She groaned. “Oh my god. What, are you and Erik like pregnancy conspiracy pals now?”

He gave her a stern look, “He’s right, ya know. You need to limit your exposure to the sun right now. Or at least wear a hat if you insist on being outside for that long.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes _, dad.”_

He snickered. Standing back up, he kissed her softly. “I just worry.”

She nodded, “I know. I promise, no more sun without hats.”

He smiled back at her.

They heard a knock at the door. “Hey, you two making a third baby in there or what?”

Kim laughed as Tommy scowled. He flung the door wide open. Jason smirked.

Tommy stepped around him and scanned the room. “Where’s Miles?”

“He went to the bathroom. Didn’t want me to help, which was fine.”

Tommy glared. “Good. Saves me from having to explain your stupid comment.”

Jason laughed. “Oh, we still in stork delivery land? My bad.”

Tommy shook his head, he left to find his son. Kim emerged and tossed the pillow at Jason’s feet.

“Hi again,” Jason said.

Kim rolled her eyes, grabbing her picture frame and letter.

Jason eyed the stack of boxes. “So, we taking these today?”

She nodded. “That was my plan.”

Jason smirked. “You were gonna—bring these to the car yourself?”

There were at least eight of them, not all of them small.

Kim challenged. “It would have taken me a bit longer, but I could have done it. I’m _pregnant_ not…” she couldn’t think of a good punch-line.

Jason snorted. “Okay. Just—now that we’re here, I beg you not to lift anything. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

She sighed. It was true. “Fine. I’ll take the pillow and my plants.”

Jason nodded, “Good. That should probably be safe.”

Kim shook her head. Jason began sorting the boxes by size and weight.

“Does it matter whose car we load these into?” he asked.

“Nope. Wherever they fit is fine by me,” she said distractedly.

Kim stared back at the letter in her hands. She was itching to open it.

Jason strategized his box moving game plan. But she wasn’t listening.

She looked up. “Huh?”

He mimed a dangling keychain. “I need your keys,” he said.

“Oh.”

He followed as she led them back into the lobby. A row of lockers stood before the entrance. Employees were _gently asked_ to keep their personal belongings housed inside. Management thought it might encourage productivity if workers went without unnecessary items while tending to the grounds.

_Gently asked,_ because it wasn’t a requirement, the Garden priding itself on a cooperative attitude. Most folks went along with the request, though occasionally you’d catch an intern who’d refused to part with their beloved cellular device.

Kim stopped in her tracks, eyes locked on the scene ahead.

Erik had reemerged from his office at some point. And was now talking to Tommy and Miles.

She wondered at the three of them. Not that she was worried it’d be awkward. Or maybe she was. But no, to see them now, she knew whatever they were discussing wasn’t hostile or antagonistic. Kim had all but erased any doubts in Tommy’s mind that she was his.

And Erik, for all that he’d felt when she’d told him about Tommy, had always been respectful, albeit curious, about the other man. Even before Kim had left on her romantic walkabout.

She’d many times described Erik as observant. And indeed, it didn’t take much before Erik had fully sussed out just how significant this other man was to the woman he was in love with.

It was not always easy for Erik, to hear about the way Kim spoke of her ex. Erik fancied himself incredibly evolved, but he was still human. But he had asked, and Kim clearly needed someone to talk to. She never divulged anything to him as a way of baiting him or even weighing their virtues against each other. Though to be sure, unconscious comparisons were made.

She spoke of Tommy with reverence, with sadness, with admiration. He seemed incredibly important to her but with a sort of self-imposed sense of antipathy. As if she shouldn’t be so nostalgic about him.

All this in turn, had made it fairly easy to honor her request to take a break.

It gave Erik time to prepare himself for the inevitable.

As it was, the two men had met several times in the last three years, all parties insanely curious to see the dynamic when they’d finally come face to face.

The first time was undoubtedly the weirdest, as it been at Kim’s house. Tommy would be visiting. Erik requested the chance to finally meet him. There was minor posturing. Both men of science, they would later claim a biological imperative as the cause for any sort of sizing up that occurred.

They were roughly the same build, Erik’s Scandinavian heritage slightly eking out Tommy in height. Equally masculine features, though Tommy’s were darker. His hair, eyes and naturally tanned skin. His nose, aquiline, indicative of his Indigenous blood. Erik had blonde hair and blue eyes, his nose sloped. His fair complexion freckled by the time spent outdoors.

It was a battle of the warriors. Native versus Viking. And that’s ironically how they’d begun their now tentative alliance.

The rest of their encounters were brief, but amiable. Kim seemed to always be the one most concerned. But neither man gave it much credence. Nothing ever came up, and with each passing moment, their conversations grew longer, more engaged. You wouldn’t call it friendship, but maybe someday, if they cared enough.

Jason’s movement broke her reverie. He jostled at a padlock on the locker doors, unsure which was hers.

His nuisance alerted the two other adults and child. The trio turned to look at Jason and then at her.

She rolled her eyes and slapped Jason’s hand away from the wrong lock. She pushed him two doors down and entered the combination, pulling and twisting the lock in her hand before linking it back through the door portion alone. She’d be taking all of her effects with her, no need to seal it back up.

He snatched her keys as she presented them. Stopping only to retrieve the boxes he’d collected before heading out the door.

Erik snickered, nudging his chin at where Jason left. “Should we tell him those doors are gonna lock behind him now?”

The adults laughed as Miles wandered over to Kim. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her side.

“Oh, please don’t. I want to see his face when he tries to open them,” Tommy chuckled.

“How about we don’t terrorize him before I let him drive my car?” Kim quipped.

“Are you riding with Uncle Jase?” Miles asked her.

Kim smiled down at him, “I don’t have to. Why? You wanna ride with me?”

Miles nodded, wrapping his arms around her.

She bent down and kissed the top of his head. “Good. We’ll snuggle in the front seat.”

Miles buried his face into her side but didn’t say no. She laughed, clearing her throat as she caught both men smiling back at her.

Tommy spun back to address Erik, “Hey man, good to see you again. Thank you for the info about the Dinosaur Park. That sounds like something Miles and I will for sure wanna check out.”

The men shook hands. Erik gave a nod. “No problem. If you need to reach me, Kim’s got the all the directory numbers for the Garden.”

Erik shot her a smile. Kim smiled back. An impassable _thank you_ for his formality in regards to his contact info. As if the directory was the only means she still had to reach him.

Tommy nodded and crossed back to start collecting the rest of the boxes.

“Well, unless you’re all really itching to watch your friend make a fool of himself, I should probably deactivate the locks on the doors.”

Kim shot him a look.

Erik gave a tight smile and nodded his head. “Got it. Take me just a minute. You’ll here ‘em click—“ he gave a short laugh as he remembered who he was talking to.

“Sorry, you already know that.” He pointed in the direction he was leaving before taking off.

Tommy pushed out from the door of Kim’s office foyer, shoving a tower of larger boxes with his foot while holding two smaller ones in his hand.

Kim eyed him wildly. She nudged Miles toward him, “Go hold the door for him, please.”

“Tommy, what are you doing?” she moved to help him.

Miles came up behind him and countered his weight to hold the door taut, hanging by the handle.

Kim tried to grab the smaller boxes in his hands. Tommy yanked them back.

“I got it,” he insisted, “Just, tell me if I’m gonna run into anything.”

  
“Are those the rest of the boxes? “ She rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous,” she huffed.

He stopped once he’d cleared the door. Miles released the handle, stumbling to catch himself as the door slid shut.

Tommy set the smaller boxes atop the stack and reached over to give Kim a kiss.

“I’ve been called worse.”

The entrance doors jostled. The couple turned to see Jason wave back at them and pointed to indicate he was locked out.

Miles ran to the glass and shouted, “Doors are locked!”

Jason rolled his eyes and motioned for the boy to open them. Miles pushed on the glass and let Jason in.

“Erik’s deactivating the auto locks,” Kim explained, “But that probably doesn’t matter now, thanks to this one, “ she thumbed at Tommy.

Jason assessed the rest of the boxes. “I can probably grab two of these bigger ones if someone can guide me,” he said.

Tommy nodded, “Great, and I can handle the rest,” he turned to Kim, “Anything else left?”

“Yes, the pillow and the plant,” she said, moving back toward the door.

“Miles,” Tommy called out, “Help Kim, please.”

Miles dashed across the floor and stood to hold the office door open with his back. Kim returned momentarily, handing off the plant to him.

The doors buzzed and clicked, signaling the alarm had been released.

“Alright, dude,” Jason signaled to Miles as he hoisted up his stack of boxes, “You ready to lead the charge?”

Miles nodded and skipped ahead of the man, propping open the glass door in wait.

Tommy waited for Kim to move ahead of him. Kim shoved her photo and letter into her bag and adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

“You go ahead, I’ll be right behind you,” she said.

Tommy nodded. He understood. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, lifting his own stack of boxes and jogged for the door where Miles and Jason awaited him.

Kim smiled as the men started to pass through the portico and out into the parking lot.

Kim turned back to stare down the hall. She set the pillow aside, and started walking. The sound of her footsteps echoed, adding an ominous quality to her stride.

Erik turned the corner on his return from the system panel, reorganizing his keys and cards on the keychain he carried. He stopped and looked up.

Kim smiled as he slowly made his way toward her, stuffing the keys back into his pocket.

“Your friend get back in okay?”

“Yes, just in time.”

He spared her a crooked smile. “So, this is it, huh?”

She nodded, biting her lip as she idly looked around the empty hall. “Yeah. This is it.”

He rushed her, closing the gap and pulling her into a hug, mindful of her condition. One arm held her about the back as the other came up to stroke her hair. He rested his chin atop her head.

Her arms encircled his chest, her head pressed fast against it. They stood there for a moment.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He placed a kiss into her hair, giving her one final squeeze before pulling back to smile down at her.

“Be good.” He told her, his eyes a bit bleary.

She blinked back her own watery lids and gave a small nod.

She spun on her heels and headed back for the door. She could hear his faint steps behind her before the sound of a door clicking shut told her she was once more in the hall alone.

She made her way out into the parking lot, the pillow back in her hands.

Jason had moved her car at some point. Miles was seated in the cab of Tommy’s truck, the engine idling. Jason and Tommy stood between the two cars now parked side by side. Jason leaned against the passenger door of her burgundy hatchback as Tommy rested up against the driver’s side of his massive Black Toyota.

They looked up, at her approach.

“We’re ready when you are, Pinkie,” Jason smirked, grabbing the pillow from her.

“I’m ready, “she told him.

Jason nodded, gave Tommy’s arm a playful slug and rounded the hood before sliding into the driver’s seat of Kim’s car, shoving the pillow behind him. One of her larger boxes riding shotgun next to him.

_Hair of the Dog_ by Nazareth started blasting from Kim’s pitiful soundsystem as Jason cranked it to its threshold.

He rolled down the passenger window, “Last one home is named Tommy Oliver.”

The couple rolled their eyes as Jason cackled, slipping his sunglasses on. He spun the tiny car around and buckled in. They heard him shout along to the song as he peeled out of the parking lot.

_Now you're messin' with a...a son of a bitch!_

They laughed as the music faded the further Jason drove away. Tommy helped Kim up into the cab, Miles secured in the middle as he dashed back to climb into the driver’s side.

Tommy reached over to capture her lips. She returned to meet the kiss.

Miles sank low in his seat, his face screwed up in a grimace.

They broke apart, laughing at the little boy’s reaction.

Tommy pulled out of the parking lot. Kim dragged Miles closer to her and kissed the top of his head.

“Everything ok?” Tommy looked back at her.

Kim smiled back at him, “Everything’s great.”

\---x---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.
> 
> The character's of Miles Oliver and Erik Matheson are completely original and mine.


	11. Epilogue

Kim ran her nail across the envelope’s edge. She pulled the stack of folded sheets out from the confines. She sat back as she flattened out the papers.

_Gardening Tips_

  1. _Have a vision for your garden_



_Ask yourself what it is you want. What purpose?_

  1. _Prioritize_



_What’s most important? Tend to that first. There’s always time for more later. Even if you have to wait a season or two._

  1. _Good Soil_



_It’s the foundation. Don’t settle. Get the best. No matter what._

  1. _Reaping what you sow_



_What you put in, you’ll get out. Take the time and patience to cultivate, your efforts will be rewarded._

  1. _Assess you garden’s conditions_



_Take inventory, Assess strengths and weaknesses. Understand and analyze the environment and circumstances._

  1. _Build a Fence_



_Well established boundaries always keep out pests._

  1. _Constant Tending_



_It’s hard work. But worth it, be diligent, and don’t get lazy. Keep at it._

  1. _Have patience, and trust the process_



_You can’t force it._

  1. _Learn to Deal with things outside your control_



_Sometimes it rains too much. Sometimes there’s never enough. Be flexible._

  1. _Reap your harvest_




End file.
